Advent Reflection: The Greatest Gift Is Love – Howie Anderson and Sue Montgomery
This week, we light the second candle of Advent for faith and healing. And we pray for the courage to overcome injustice and oppression.
During Advent, it’s easy to focus on such things as shopping, decorating, writing cards and rushing around. Christmas suddenly arrives, and we’ve run out of time for more meaningful endeavors. So, we’ll be shopping less this year and making time for more important things – visiting the lonely, reaching out to old friends, comforting those who have experienced loss and taking little steps toward overcoming injustice. Those steps include donating clothing and food to recent migrants and others who lack adequate housing and are food insecure.
Advent is also a wonderful time to focus on gratitude for our faith, our friends and our many blessings.
We were blessed to get married in 2021 after two delays as a result of the pandemic. This fall, we finally took our delayed honeymoon, the trip of a lifetime to Paris. Every day, we are grateful we found each other.
Because we got married after decades of life’s ups and downs, we truly cherish the little joys that each day can bring – appreciating the smiles and laughter of a grandchild; reuniting with old friends and meeting new ones; supporting a brother who was recently widowed; looking for new ways to volunteer at church and in the community; celebrating our many gifts.
As we anticipate the commemoration of the birth of the Christ child, the greatest gift of all, it’s a good time to be grateful for all that we have.
Presents aren’t important. It’s time to focus on other things this holiday season. Hugs. Smiles. Compassion. Friendship. Family. Love.
We wish you and your family an Advent filled with joy, gratitude and continued blessings.