How long did you think all this Covid stuff would last? In the early days of the pandemic I naively thought that we would go back to normal after about three months…by the end of the summer.

Obviously I was way off. I even wrote a blog post about not going back to normal. I stand by those statements but I was clearly being way too optimistic at that time.

I was oddly energized by the change to a work from home lifestyle, but that didn’t last long and as some of my regular readers know…I went silent. My motivation cratered.

The disruption to our lives has been overwhelming for many people I love. I cannot seem to go a day without someone dwelling on the pandemic…its duration and its impact on our lives. I often get sucked in despite trying to focus on the positive.

I have been waiting so long to be free from this sense of restriction and unease! I clearly long for a sense of freedom that I didn’t fully appreciate before the pandemic…maybe you can relate.

Sunday I heard a message from a pastor at Lutheran Church of Hope that dialed me in to advent. Advent is most understood as a church season that leads up to Christmas. Quite honestly, I pay little attention most years. Sure I enjoy the lighting of the advent candles by cute kids, but there hasn’t been too much in it for me beyond those few moments.

Inspired by the sermon I started doing some research and found that advent is just what we need this year…and every year…as a time to remember, reflect, and hope.

Advent means coming, but we must wait on that coming person or event.

As a Christian there is great hope in the idea of advent. If you are not a Christian, this source of hope my be foreign to you but you may have something similar in your faith tradition or you may be hoping in the coming of the vaccine.

As a Christian I believe that Jesus (God) came to live alongside us humans and I believe Jesus will come again. I believe the Holy Spirit (God) is here to be with us at all times.

The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As the brilliant Bonhoeffer stated, advent is for the troubled, the poor and imperfect, and those looking forward to something greater.

I suspect most of us, whether Christian or not, can relate to that state of being this year.

This Advent I am going to do my best to experience advent to its fullest and I will chronicle it here and on my usual social media streams.

I hope you will follow along and share it with other people who are troubled, poor, imperfect, and looking for something that is better than our current state.

As leaders in our homes, workplaces, and communities I believe this time of reflection will allow us to move forward purposefully and energetically.

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