Now Is The Time

Happy Gaudete Sunday!

A few days into advent, I must admit, I thought this year was a bust. All my well laid plans for keeping this time holy were quickly unraveling.

I had the best intentions of starting advent by re-consecrating myself to Mary on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I made the 33 day personal retreat but ended up missing Mass on the actual Feast day. It wasn’t the end of the world but not what I’d planned.

This year, I was so excited to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas for the first time by filling Cooper’s shoe with chocolate but I forgot to buy the chocolate. I’ll try again next year.

I was also determined to read a short advent story to Cooper every evening while we sat by the advent wreath. He wasn’t the least bit interested. I spent the first week reading it aloud to a toddler on the run.

The list goes on: we missed Mass last Sunday, I didn’t make a Mexican meal on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I kept over sleeping and missing my morning reflection time, etc. I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole advent thing.

The next week everything finally settled and advent became what I had hoped. Cooper and I (and sometimes Reagan) get up in the morning, make some coffee, poor some milk, and settle in on the couch. We light our candles and read about Benjamin Bear’s advent adventure. He rubs my hair and we end it with a Hail Mary.

It’s simple. It’s perfect.

If your advent hasn’t gone as planned it’s not to late. If you didn’t bother to try to do anything this advent it’s not to late to start. Actually, I’d say now is the time.

It’s so easy to throw in the towel when things aren’t going perfectly or to never begin because you didn’t start on time. As they say, better late than never. Let us begin!