The day after Thanksgiving, Luke and I looked out the front window and saw this cardinal aglow in the morning light. The rest of the house was still asleep. The carndinal looked like a colored leaf, the tree like stained glass. On another branch was a robin (truly, there was!), and on the ground beneath was a squirrel. It was a splendid sight.
The first two weeks of Advent have been filled with:
:: walking in the woods with bags of seed and crusts of bread for the cold birds and critters.
:: decorating!
:: knitting little gifts for friends, and hats for the troops
:: reading books about the Blessed Mother and reflecting on her character and holiness. This week, I am really enjoying this one.
:: going to our town's tree lighting festival
:: shopping for Christmas and birthday gifts (four of my five children's birthdays fall in November, December, and January)
:: visiting a local nursery to walk among the Christmas trees and feed the Christmas goats
:: making a Jesse Tree with Luke. Ours is a simple green triangle of poster paper hung on the wall above his little table in the kitchen. We have been coloring the ornaments found here, and using the readings found here.
:: celebrating the feasts of Saint Nicholas and the Immaculate Conception, as well as my oldest son's nineteenth birthday today :- )