From today’s earlier Advent post:

It was not my intent to be divisive during this holy and joyful season. I had hoped to offer something to all Christians of benefit during these rushed days. That is what all my posts are meant to do. I regret that it is not to be.

I find the above comment reasonable, and in that spirit I am putting up a post for those who would like to share further thoughts in this season (soon) of Advent from a Protestant perspective. I ask my fellow Catholics to respect this as much as we wish our own viewpoints to be given opportunity and attention.

Please note. This is not an open opportunity for anyone to bash the faith of another. It is not a forum for you to argue theology or Protestant vs. Catholic ideas of salvation. This blog is not a place for religious apologetics, it has a different purpose, and there are thousands of sites where you can do that very thing, if you must. You will not do it here. If it becomes too much to moderate this post, I’ll chalk it up to a bad idea and trash it.

Happy Advent, and may we all find ways to open our doors to the Holy Family seeking shelter this season, ways that will deepen our ability to welcome Christ with love, on Christmas and every day.

Advent is a season of preparation that has a twofold purpose. Advent begins with Evening Prayer I of the Sunday falling on or closest to 30 November and ends before evening prayer I of Christmas. We prepare ourselves not only for the coming joy of our celebration of the birth of the Christ child; we also prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of Christ.

For Catholics, Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year. The seasons of that year have always led me on a journey with Christ each year, and I gain so much in the consistency of the seasons and readings. We begin with Advent, awaiting the birth of Christ, then celebrate the Christmas Octave and season, Epiphany, and then soon begins Lent, in preparation for Easter. Then, after the Easter season ends with Pentecost, we have the bulk of Ordinary Time until the end of the liturgical year, and Advent again.

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Happy Thanksgiving. Living well always includes gratitude.

“Here we touch on… one of the secrets of the spiritual life that also is one of the laws of happiness. The more we cultivate gratitude and thanksgiving, the more open our hearts are to God’s action, so that we can receive life from God and be transformed and enlarged. By contrast, if we bury ourselves in discontent, permanent dissatisfaction, then our hearts close themselves insidiously against life, against God’s gift” (The Way of Trust and Love, p. 112).

Father Jacques Phillippe

On Giving Thanks to the Creator:

“As thou takest thy seat at table, pray. As thou liftest the loaf, offer thanks to the Giver. When thou sustainest thy bodily weakness with wine, remember Him Who supplies thee with this gift, to make thy heart glad and to comfort thy infirmity. Has thy need for taking food passed away? Let not the thought of thy Benefactor pass away too.

As thou art putting on thy tunic, thank the Giver of it. As thou wrappest thy cloak about thee, feel yet greater love to God, Who alike in summer and in winter has given us coverings convenient for us, at once to preserve our life, and to cover what is unseemly. Is the day done? Give thanks to Him Who has given us the sun for our daily work, and has provided for us a fire to light up the night and to serve the rest of the needs of life…”

On Eating:

“When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.”

On Worldly Troubles:

“Troubles are usually the brooms and shovels that smooth the road to a good man’s fortune; and many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away hunger.”

From my comment at Stella’s Place, on her recipe post, here’s our family’s sweet potato casserole recipe, with a pecan topping.

It’s not Thanksgiving for our family without a good sweet potato casserole. I wouldn’t eat sweet potatoes until I was in my twenties, but now I love them. I became the person who brings the huge pan of them to our big family meal long ago.

My husband’s huge extended family goes all out for the day, with all his siblings trying to show up with kids and grandkids. There may be one very elderly but super active and fit aunt to come. The members of that oldest generation are sadly almost gone.

Everyone who comes brings their specialties, and after so many years, we don’t plan a menu. We show up before noon, and there will be maybe a dozen or so sides, more than a half dozen desserts, two or three turkeys, several hams. A bouncy house in the huge yard for the kids, which makes for a much more peaceful day, and good fun all around complete the day.

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First of all, Sundance is taking a break. He had some business matters to handle. This blog started on February 1, 2011, and in all that time, except for when he was on his trip to meet with some contacts, and helping out after disasters, I remember Sundance taking off a few days only one time. He went on a fishing trip and left the gals in charge. We managed not to set the Treehouse on fire, and even resisted ordering new furniture and hanging pictures.

And so, here we are, still in the same Tree. (more…)

I am in serious sourdough bread making mode now, as I usually am in the fall and winter. The urge to get my sourdough starter going usually hits the first brisk morning in September, but it was late coming this year due to our extended Indian summer.

I am looking for good soup recipes, maybe some fall vegetable and grain bowl ideas. Please share recipes and any requests you have!