Expectation

December 1, 2007

Today is the first day of Advent, tomorrow the first Sunday of Advent, a truly fantastic season filled with anticipation, expectation, preparation, wonder, longing and waiting for the hope, joy, justice and peace that comes with the birth of baby Jesus. Last year I experienced the season, although a little prematurely to the actual season, in a uniquely tangible way, gaining perspective on the themes of the season as I was on call to watch the siblings of the soon to come little brother of the family in which I was babysitting for at the time. Logistical preparations were made, the expectation and anticipation of the due date brought necessary changes in my study habits, making sure I stayed on top of assignments so that I could slack off a bit in the event I needed to skip out on a few classes, and most impressionable was the waiting. As the due date approached, it was odd to get requests to babysit, assuming "we're still four." Soon things would be different, but in the meantime routines carried on as normal. There were also plenty of questions that marked the waiting period. Would he come early as his siblings did? Will my phone ring in the middle of the night (will I hear it if I'm asleep?) or during class? How proactive should I be in writing my paper early or would this event come at a time in which everything would continue on as normal. And as the due date passed, the anticipation and expectations were heightened and the sense of waiting ever more present. He could come any day or moment, but when? Would I be going to the meeting I had scheduled or would I be minding after two energetic (also anticipating) little ones? When could I stop planning the potential schedule changes that would need to be made, depending on when my babysitting services where needed, and be certain of my routine?

As it turned out the actual timing of the birth was hardly an interruption to my routine, needing only a few minor rearrangements to be made. And while the event itself (at least on my end) was a fairly regular afternoon of babysitting, it was the anticipation, expectation, and preparation all encompassed within three weeks of waiting that gave me a new perspective on how to approach the season of Advent. I was now a babysitter for a family of five and I witnessed family dynamics change as siblings and parents adjusted to the new life. I look forward to this Advent season as the lectionary texts break away from the ordinary and lead me through reflections of anticipation, expectation, preparation and longing as we wait for the arrival of Christmas and the incredible change that it brings us with the hope, joy, justice and peace that is present in it.

This Advent is certain to bring new experiences and perspectives as I celebrate in a land with traditions, songs, and liturgy familiar but different from my own. I am eager to celebrate and to discover these customs with new friends, but it is also these same new traditions and customs, in a season so familiar, which brings the reminder home is a little further away this year. With this reminder comes moments in which I wish that I could be celebrating and waiting together with friends and family. While some find great comfort in looking at the moon, knowing that friends and family who are away are looking at the very same moon making the distance between them not so wide, I take great comfort in knowing that friends and family are entering into this same season of Advent. We anticipate, expect, prepare, long and wait together.

24 days to go...