I picked up a book at the UU Yard Sale last year (really, the Unitarian Universalists are some of the best read people! I go wait in line for their yard sale just to get to the book shelves first). It looked brand new, but turns out it was published in 1999. Still pertinent, that's for sure. The title: Simpler Living, Compassionate Life.
I had to get that one!

It's a collection of essays by some of my favorite writers - Parker Palmer, Henri Nouwen, Wendell Berry, Gerald May, Frederick Buechner. Some fantastic stuff in this book! And, because it's essays, I am able to just pick it up and put it down over & over again. It's such a nice reminder of what simple living can be and why we pursue this way of life.

Last night I was reading from the "Time as Commodity, Time as Sacred" section. Wonder which one of these understandings of "time" your living represents? Hmmm. Seems particularly pertinent during this sacred season that has turned into a time of commodity consumption.

I just have to share with you some of what Cecile Andrews says in "The Spirituality of Everyday Life." As we careen into the holiday season, what better "time" to consider how we live into the time that is gifted us:

Being mindful is hard for us because we are always anxious about time. Just as we never feel we have enough money, we never have enough time. In fact, maybe it's beause we feel we don't have enough money that we feel that we don't have enough time. Since we measure everything in terms of money, that sense of scarcity pervades our whole life. Learning that we have enough - money, time, love - may be our most important lesson. ....

You must pay attention to your speed and consciously slow down. Maybe make that your mantra - slow down - saying it very slowly...of course, in our rushing, we have no time to talk with people, so we get lonelier and lonelier.

In rushing, we have no time for reflection, no time to notice what is going on around us....

When we rush, we are much more likely to consume because we are ignoring the little voice asking us if we really need this new thing....I think that little voice is always there speaking to us, telling us the right thing to do, but we ignore it because we are rushing and have no time to listen.

(Cecile Anderson, in Simpler Living, Compassionate Life, excerpted from pg. 38-40)

I am especially struck by how we correlate Christmas and rushing - so much to do, so little time to do it all, as we prepare to celebrate the seasons well. And yet, are we really celebrating and are we doing it well? We need to stop rushing so that we can really answer that question for ourselves and our families.

As Advent begins, I encourage you to stop and reflect, to slow down and really remember how to celebrate well this year. That's all. I'm not offering you another list of how-to-be-simple in your celebration. Just encouraging you to slow down and consider what you do, why you do it, and remember to celebrate well in all you do (or decide not to do!).

Peace to you. The Peace of the One whose birth and life we celebrate in these days.