Guide us to thy perfect light

So here I am- Twelfth Night. Christmas season itself continues until Candlemas on the 2nd February, but my celebrations can't last that long.
I tried to keep an Advent of prayerful preparation, to joyfully welcome the Christ-child on Christmas morning, and to continue to celebrate God's glory until today's feast of the Epiphany.
This morning's Gospel reading was Matthew's account of the Magi visiting Herod, then placing their gifts before Jesus; gold for the king, frankincense for the priest and myrrh because he was destined to die.
One classic sermon preached on this reading is what gifts do we bring? If I had one wish for this year it would to be more loving, to offer this as my gift. If I've learned anything in ministry, work and life it's that love, in the broadest sense, is what really matters.

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Penultimate blog! It's actually quite hard to keep celebrating this long- you do eventually want normality to resume. It slowly creeps in. Tomorrow the tree and decorations will come down and school uniforms will be sorted ready for Monday morning.
I want to get back to my diet to! I feel bloated after 2 weeks of indulgence. I have my daughter's birthday to prepare for, another assignment due in 10 days.
One thing that keeps Christmas so special is that it is relatively brief. The joyful celebration is greatly welcomed after 24 days of Advent prayer and preparation, celebrated abundantly while it lasts, and set aside when it's season has passed.
New year, new beginnings await.

Bless all the dear children

There doesn't seem to have been much time this Christmas just to hang out with my kids and do whatever they want to do, so this evening I made sure they each had time with me to do whatever they wanted.
My son was first- we built a wooden fort together. We did a fantastic job as we had no instructions and no clue where to start! We were finished within 30 minutes and he was soon racing his knight around it- first riding a unicorn, and later a puffin.
My daughter wanted to bake- I let her choose and she decided upon mini choc cupcakes. They were delicious!
It's such a special time- it won't be long before they no longer want my help, or think they know better. It's important to give them my time when they want it, and celebrate the fact they still need their mum.

'Tis the season to be jolly!

Today was all about celebrating friendship.
A well earned day off- and time to spend with the kids at last- so we headed off for tea and cake this morning with good friends. This afternoon some other friends popped round for a cuppa and their son (our boy's BFF) has stayed for tea and a sleepover.
Having people in your life who you choose to have there and spend time with, simply because they are a delight to your heart, is a blessing indeed.

Now sing with hearts aglow

New year, new beginning, new possibilities. It's no wonder that people forget we're still in Christmas once the new year begins.
So many things I've read today are about forgetting the past- sweeping it under the carpet and starting anew. But if we forget the past we forget what has made us who we are. One thing I learnt during the discernment process I went through before being accepted for ordination training is that the more difficult things we encounter, and how we deal with them, have far more influence on us. They mould and shape us far more than the lovely and fluffy things.
So I celebrate the difficult things from the last twelve months, because in some way they've maybe helped me more than the good things I've encountered.