O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appears.
O Come, O Come is my favorite Advent carol. This could be because I love Advent or because this is an ancient hymn that puts me in a larger story – a story that yearns for something new and yet is clinging to the past redeeming nature of God. That is a story I want to live in not just in advent, but all year around. May it be so!
O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go
Here in the Dutt/Parker Household we have been taking several new paths (and hoping that they are filled with wisdom and God’s knowledge). This past year we have both taken new jobs. Jim was hired full time at JPMorgan Chase. I became the National Program Director of DOOR. While we both have the same desks that we did before our respective transitions, we both have noticed how different the new jobs feel. Jim likes the stability, the benefits, and the new hours. I enjoy the travel (for the most part) to the other 5 DOOR cities on a regular basis as well as the training I get to do in my new role.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight.
We have lots to celebrate this year – several mini vacations to Wisconsin, several trips to Ohio, and to Indiana as well as first “real” vacation to San Diego in November. I also went to LA with my mom for a retirement trip which was great fun. Vacations totally cheer me up.
My side of the family came to Chicago for Easter. We welcomed Russ into our family and celebrated with his family as we witnessed Betsy and Russ’ wedding. We even took a dancing lesson – more fun for me than for Jim. We hosted both sets of parents for Thanksgiving dinner. All was a great joy!
Jim finally got his wish for a cat as well. MJ brings lots of smiles and funny stories. She likes to jump and run like she is on fire, shred toilet paper, and likes to play with Jim’s beard – a perfect kitty life.
O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
We also have experienced loss this year. We miss our friends, Melissa, Casey and Joslyn as they moved to Ohio. We miss their laughter, their support, and Joslyn’s place in our hearts.
At the beginning of this month, Jim’s mom passed away. This has been an interesting important month for us as we process and live in the new reality. We met family at the funeral that haven’t seen Jim since he was 9. It was surprising for them to realize that Jim had grown up and gotten married!
My prayer for the coming year for us and each of you is:
O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace.
For we know that we have the promise and a reason to:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Krista and Jim
No comments:
Post a Comment