Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Prepare, And The Preparation

The weekend after Thanksgiving is our weekend to decorate the house for Christmas. 

For the past couple of years, Hannah has been in charge of setting up the lights outside.  She does a nice job.  Each year it’s a little different.  Each year is prettier than the last.  When she’s done, all of us chip in and decorate the inside of the house.  Each year pictures get taken down and seasonal pictures take their place.  The tree gets purchased.  Kim puts on the lights and together as a family, we put on the ornaments.  Some old.  Some newer.  Baby ornaments depicting Wil’s, Hannah’s, Emily’s birth or birthday.  A baseball ornament for Wil.  Soccer ornaments for all three kids.  Swimming ornaments for Hannah and Emily.  Wedding and anniversary ornaments.  Lots.  The tree is full.  Full.

Each year, our Golden, Bailey, picks one and eats it.  Yup.  Never fails.  One ornament a year.  Sherlock, before he died, did the same thing.  No clue why.  They just do.

Together, Emily and I put up the Village.  You could say that it’s our thing. 

We set up two tables.  We make sure we have the extension cords.  We place the fake snow down and then open up the trunk and take out the boxes.

We place the houses, and the shops, and the people just so.  They have to be just right.  As if one could step into the scene and take part.  Buy the baked ham or the freshly baked bread.  Can almost smell it.  Perhaps skate on the pond and drink hot chocolate.  Maybe cut down the Christmas trees and sell them along with the seller.  Can almost smell the pine.  Or, help feed the chickens or milk the cow on the little homestead up on the hill outside of town.  The other animals amongst the bales of hay.

Prepare, And The Preparation.

Almost, but not quite ready.

We have the lists of wishes, needs, and “I’d likes”.  Shopping and wrapping and name tags.  Tape.  Lots of tape.  Random bundles and stacks under the tree. 

Prepare, And The Preparation.

Advent is one of my favorite seasons . . . themes.  Its very nature, its meaning, is to Prepare.  To make ready.  To get ready. 

To Prepare our heart.  To get our heart ready.  To get our mind ready.  Each year, at the same time of year, we Prepare.  We make Preparations.

We get to go change what we’ve done.  We get to change how we do things.  How we think.  How we act.  How we treat people . . . ourselves.

We have the opportunity to begin again.  To make things right.  To Prepare, and To Make Preparations.  A great concept and philosophy.  A concept that is truly more realistic than an ideal. 

My question is this: why should we wait until each December to Prepare to do better . . . to think better?  Why wait until each December to make our Preparations?  Shouldn’t we do this each day?  Every day?  And, why Prepare?  Can’t we just do?  Each day . . . every day . . . just do?  And if we stumble and fall, if we make a mistake, we try again . . . and again . . . and again.  Each day . . . every day.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, And Make A Difference!

1 comment:

  1. Pat Ruppel shared your blog post on Google+

    Nice reminder, Joe. It won't be long when we'll be digging out those boxes with Christmas lights and decorations in our household. You're right about preparation. I guess we're a work in progress. Pat

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe