{"id":27692,"date":"2012-12-04T07:50:51","date_gmt":"2012-12-04T13:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=27692"},"modified":"2012-12-04T07:09:15","modified_gmt":"2012-12-04T13:09:15","slug":"life-is-not-an-emergency-preparing-for-advent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/life-is-not-an-emergency-preparing-for-advent\/","title":{"rendered":"Life is Not an Emergency: Preparing for Advent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Several months ago, a friend gave me the book, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. Admittedly, it’s not the kind of book you can just breeze through in one sitting. It’s a hardcover meant to be enjoyed, over the course of many a couch sitting, preferably with a hot cup of tea.<\/p>\n

Precisely the kind of book I don’t have time for as the busy mom of five. But, I will tell you that it was the words of my friend that encouraged me to carve out the time to read it. “This book will change the way you look at your son’s medical challenges,” she said.<\/p>\n

As providence would have it, I’ve been enjoying bits and pieces of the book and I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that the time was found just as I begin the season of Advent. There’s one thing Ann says in the book that I keep coming back to: \u00a0“Life is not an emergency.”<\/p>\n

Life is not<\/em> an emergency. I treat it that way, though. All. The. Time.<\/p>\n

Did you see my to-do list for today? I’ve got four errands to run between the first and second school drop-offs. There is a pile of laundry still sitting the dryer that needs to be folded. Oh, and don’t even<\/em> get me started on the cookies to bake for class parties, the teacher gifts to craft and the packages to wrap. There’s my husband’s work party, office papers to be filed and a cabinet to reorganize.<\/p>\n

As I mentally go over my “list”, my eyes rest upon my kitchen table. Underneath the homework I need to review, the folder I need to sign and a few Hot Wheels, I spy it. The homemade Advent wreath my daughter crafted in kindergarten class. The first “candle” is lit. The orange and red tissue paper proudly pokes itself through the top of the paper-covered toilet paper roll. I remember that my heart is supposed to be focused on Christ.<\/p>\n

Who knew a toilet paper roll could be so profound? Evidently, God.<\/p>\n

My days will still be filled with chaos, or organized chaos, as we refer to it in our home. However, how will my heart approach the day? Will I see the baking as an opportunity to share some love with people I adore? Will I attend that office Christmas party and thank my husband’s boss for providing for our family? Will I wrap those packages, envisioning the smile that will occur when the gift is opened on Christmas Day?<\/p>\n

You see, the secular world gives us chaos and noise, but it’s up to us to ask God to bring us peace and gratitude. We can either enjoy this journey of Advent with a grateful heart or bemoan all its busyness. I’m choosing the former.<\/p>\n

\"Advent\"<\/a>Today’s Advent challenge?<\/strong> Name one small way you are choosing to celebrate Advent in your home this season. Don’t go all Pinterest crazy on me. Choose one small way to bring Christ in your home, write it down and own it. Make it happen and enjoy this blessed season!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several months ago, a friend gave me the book, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. Admittedly, it’s not the kind of book you can just breeze through in one sitting. It’s a hardcover meant to be enjoyed, over the course of many a couch sitting, preferably with a hot cup of tea. Precisely the kind… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[384,383,959],"class_list":{"0":"post-27692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-advent","8":"tag-christmas","9":"tag-motherhood","10":"entry","11":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":320036,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/season-emptiness-book-review-houselander-reed-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":27692,"position":0},"title":"A season of emptiness: Book Review: Houselander – The Reed of God","author":"William Rooney","date":"November 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was in high school the administration used to play music during the passing periods between classes as a way of helping students measure the time they had left to get to class. The song choices were moderated by the administration but they accepted the suggestions of students, naturally,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"reed-of-god","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Reed-of-God.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":179829,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/the-prayers-1st-sunday-of-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":27692,"position":1},"title":"The Prayers – 1st Sunday of Advent","author":"William Rooney","date":"November 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the guiding principles of the early church in formulating her doctrine was the phrase, lex orandi lex credenti, which translated means \u201cthe law of prayer [is] the law of believing.\u201d In that time, the Church Fathers, plagued as they were with heresies no less than we are and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ACNM"","block_context":{"text":"ACNM","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Icon of the Last Judgement","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Icon-of-the-Last-Judgement.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":180704,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/review-new-testament-basics-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":27692,"position":2},"title":"The Story of the King and His Kingdom (Review: “New Testament Basics for Catholics”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"December 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to a few years of Bible studies, I could easily tell you that the \"plot\" of the Bible is the fulfillment of the covenant between God and his people. Now I can tell you that the New Testament has its own \"subplot,\" so to speak. A few summers ago,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A review of \"New Testament Basics for Catholics\" at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27271,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/11\/keeping-advent-holy\/","url_meta":{"origin":27692,"position":3},"title":"Keeping Advent Holy","author":"Lauren Gulde","date":"November 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ahhhh, it's almost December! What a wonderful time of year! 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That doesn't always happen in blogging, but when it does, it gives me the sense\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":182741,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/the-prayers-2nd-sunday-of-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":27692,"position":5},"title":"The Prayers – 2nd Sunday of Advent","author":"William Rooney","date":"December 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Since we can learn much from what we pray day in and day out in our Liturgy it would be profitable for us to reflect more profoundly upon the prayers of each day. 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