Soul Sister Time

  New Year’s Eve is a perfect time to reflect on what the past year has taught, challenged, inspired, and changed you forever.  Examen has long been a spiritual tool of the church.  It is so easy to simply live out a year without learning from the year.  Although God is so infinite I imagine He could pack 1,000 lessons into every twenty-four hour day, it is important for us to learn at least one or two.  What difference did this year make in your life?  Today is a perfect time to do a one year Examen.  Think about the past twelve months and consider what was the most important lesson or experience you received in each month.  List them and consider how you will bring all the lessons of the last year into the New Year.  Last January, I led a quiet retreat for women to do just this.  We started the year together listening for God to lead us to ways that we could draw closer to Him in the coming year.  It was a great spiritual exercise.  It helped prepare me for the year I had ahead of

 Jane Sadek knows the world of blogs much better than I do.  I was honored that she nominated Soulsistertime for a lovely blog award. I found out about this nomination by looking at her blog Thank you Jane of http://traveltalk.wordpress.com/ for nominating my old blog, Soulsistertime , for the One Lovely Blog Award. The rules of this award are Thank the person who nominated me and link back to her. Share 7 unknown things about me. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award. Seven things you probably didn’t know about me. I am not all that quiet, in fact my kids would say I'm bossy. I do not like to read fiction unless it gives strong insights into personalities. I have the gift of Stephen--I see what is wrong in the church--a gift and a curse. I have to remember to watch the news to keep up with what is going on in the world. Most people think I am much more holy than I really am! I am not technological or am good at blogging, etc. though I have had a website and bl

            It’s Christmas Eve.   The last week of Advent this year will last only two days.   All four candles of the Advent Wreath burn brightly as the days before Christmas draw near.   The Feast of the Nativity is celebrated on December 25 when the Christ candle (white center candle) is lit for just one day.             Peace is definitely what this earth needs most this Christmas.   Americans have been crushed by the horrific tragedy that occurred in an elementary school this 2012 Advent season.   On everyone’s hearts and minds we wonder, How will the loved ones of innocent children and teachers cope this Christmas?   At the Newton, Connecticut, memorial , President Obama spoke these words of truth: We know that much of our time will be spent groping through the darkness so often unable to discern God’s heavenly plans.   There is only one thing we can be sure of and that is the love that we have for our children, for our families, for each other…A love that takes us out

            Who came up with the idea to add pink to Advent purple that already clashes with Christmas red and green?   You can search for yourself on the internet and realize that there are many views on the origins, but it is somehow related to the Catholic church and a Pope receiving a pink rose from a parishioner that gave him great joy—the focus of the third Sunday in Advent.   Whatever the reason, I prefer it when Advent Candles come with a pink one.   This year I had to search high and low for a pink tapered candle, and the one I ended up with is much shorter and wider than my slender purple ones.               I do like what the pink candle represents to me though.   It is the joy of this season.   As I told you not all churches treat Advent as they do Lent and focus on repentance.   Even if you are fasting and repenting in preparation for Christmas Day, you get to open your heart to joy on the third week of Advent as you light a pink candle.               Joy comes t

            It is heartwarming to see the overwhelming demonstration of love that brews during the Christmas season.   News reporters focus on stories of the kindness of strangers and communities pulling together to make sure that no one goes without a Christmas gift in between the never ending accounts of crimes and catastrophes.             It’s deemed newsworthy that soldiers are reunited with their families on Christmas Eve.   Food banks and homeless shelters are flooded with volunteers.   Otherwise unconcerned citizens make efforts to smile and greet one another.   Love fills the atmosphere at Christmas and brings joy to the season.             The radical love that produced Christmas is bittersweet.   Christmas began because of the separation of Jesus Christ from His Father as He came to earth as a baby.   I have never imagined what that separation felt like more than this Christmas when I am separated by heaven and earth from my beloved husband.     Our separation is m

                Traditionally, the season of Advent has been a time of penitence in preparation to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity. This is why the church color for the season is purple even though it clashes with the red and green we typically associate with Christmas.   Purple signifies the season of repentance.   The Feast of the Nativity on December 25 marked the beginning of Feasting and celebrating.   The Feast went on for the 12 days between December 25 and the Epiphany on January 6.                   Through the years the traditions have been altered in different ways by our culture.   In the Greek Orthodox Church, for example, the period of fasting in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity begins in November yet they do not wear purple at all during Christmas because they consider their fast as preparation not penitence as in Lent.   It is a hard to keep a fast in America anyway when our celebration of Thanksgiving is totally focused on food.   Different churches