Change in the Season ~ Advent III "Rose Sunday"

 

Rose Sunday

Tomorrow is the third Sunday in Advent also known as Rose Sunday. The third candle is rose colored and represents ~Gratitude. The past two weeks since Thanksgiving we have been in a season of cleaning our inward shelves to create space for the Gratitude of Christmas. 

Rose Sunday is also called Shepherd Sunday and I need to sneak in before Morning Prayer and add the shepherds to the Creche. 

Shepherd

Mary and Joseph have been alone in the Creche these past two weeks with only a donkey, cow and sheep for company. I haven't put out my own nativity sets this year as Molly seems to think most decorations should be on the floor.

On my Facebook there was a memory of Christmas 2015 when I first moved into The Nest. 

Nativity I made in the 1970's

Life was still too painful that year to write about, but I was glad that I put some memories on Facebook.

Today I posted what Molly has been up to...

...prowling

and sleeping

After having her knock down any decoration that she could push, I decided this year to keep the decorations low. So far she has not messed with Grandma Flegel's Carolers from 1979.

St Lucia Day

Tomorrow is Saint Lucia Day. In Scandinavian countries that is the beginning of the Christmas season. My children and I studied Christmas around the world every year. Abbie liked Saint Lucia and one year I made her a gown and she made the wreath with real candles. I searched for the original picture today, but alas, it was hiding. Thanks to Facebook again. Abbie had this picture that I had posted in 2015.

Abbie as St Lucia (2007?)

What you can not see in this picture is that Ian was standing by with a pitcher of water to douse her if something went wrong. Thankfully she had the photo op and we blew out the candles before any tragedy struck.

Abbie also made an outfit for her American Girl Doll

Today I made Saint Lucia Buns to take to church tomorrow for St. Lucia Day.

St Lucia Saffron Buns

I can not remember the last time I made yeast buns. We didn't have an oven from 2006 to 2015 and I was gluten free when I moved into my apartment. My oven worked well enough, but my landlady decided I needed a self cleaning oven this summer. Today I filled my apartment with the comforting smell of yeast rolls. I can not eat the rolls, but I will enjoy giving them to other people tomorrow.

Mandy and Em

Abbie's little Em got to meet Mandy, the American Girl Doll, this year. My two younger girls had saved up to buy these dolls 15 years ago. Christmas was so different for my children than what their families are now having this year. I am so grateful for the men my daughters have been blessed with and our own sweet Lucia for Ian. Every Christmas was hard and every year God met me in the hard place with miracles.

A Christmas Miracle

  Joey was in diapers and we had a bad storm that knocked the power out of Cottonwood. We used cloth diapers and I put the diaper pail on the  back porch because of the stink. The wind blew so hard I imagined that I would wake in the morning and have to collect diapers from the blackberry hedge. The diaper pail stood firmly on the back porch.

  On the Sunday before Christmas I was approached by an elderly lady who asked me to go to the store and get her gift for the Angel Tree in the foyer. My philosophy has always been that, "If I can't give money I can give time and service to the church and my church family." So, I said that I would go shopping for her if I could find someone to drive me.  We had a 1970's Chevy Station Wagon that belonged to my mother-in-law who we cared for in her home. I was not allowed to drive the car.

  My friend told me that she was going to K-Mart and I could go with her to get the gift for the Angel Tree. The power was out at home and my friend collected Joey, who was breastfeeding at the time, and me to go to K-Mart. I had never been to K-Mart. It was amazing! As we walked the isles my friend was chatting about the girls and what they liked to do. Mary was four and Abbie two. 

  When I got home another friend called me and invited me to her house on the following day to do laundry. Power had been restored to the North side of Cottonwood Creek. She came and got Joey and me and I got to take a shower at her house and bathe Joey as well as my family's laundry. Her house was warm and friendly. We had not had heat for three days and the hot water felt like heaven.

  On Sunday our power had been restored and all the Burnham Bunch loaded in the old Station Wagon to go to church. One of the other elderly ladies in the church had taken me shopping for a couple of church dresses as I was pregnant with Ian. I felt so happy to sing the Christmas Carols at church and not think about my life outside of the church walls.

   After church the friend who had taken me to K-Mart asked me to step over to the church office. (Now comes the tears.) She had been taking mental notes as we wandered the store that day, earlier in the week. Everything I had pointed out that the girls might like was wrapped in boxes for them and there was an entire box of food for us. I know that God had assigned His four saintly ladies to orchestrate this Christmas miracle for me. My three little girls had a wonderful Christmas and Mary still remembers her "tap shoes" that she got that Christmas. They were not dance shoes, but they made a tapping sound on the floor when she walked and danced along.

   Many years I would pray, "God you say it is more blessed to give than to receive. Please bless someone to give to the Burnham girls and boy this Christmas." Every year He did not disappoint. In all those lean years my children learned about being grateful for whatever they had been given and to share with others. Every year we would clean house before decorating for Christmas and they always found something to give away. I know these are traditions that they still hold.

   I love to give my money, time, and service. The feeling of giving with a joyful heart is what I think Rose Sunday is all about. We have so many blessings. During this year of Covid the giving in our community has been over the top. I have been bell ringing for the Salvation Army the past two Saturday and I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people. The smiles in their eyes tell me that they are feeling the blessing.  

   You may not have money this year to give and it is hard to give service when we are told to stay home as much as possible. You do have a phone and possibly some stamps. I feel this year more than ever before we need to mail out cards. I sent card to all of my 1st to 3rd grade students this week. A few stickers in a envelope can make the day for a child who can't go out and see friends and teachers. Trader Joe's gives away sticker. I asked the clerk for a couple of stickers and he gave me a stack!

   I discovered a video of a woman in Canada today at St. George's in the Pines Anglican church. This young teacher plays Amazing Grace everyday to the city of Banff playing the bells.

There are more videos of her playing are on Facebook.