Yesterday we celebrated “Gaudete Sunday” and lit the pink candle
on our Advent wreath.
Gaudete comes from the Latin verb gaudere (to rejoice).
Midway through this season of Advent, we are reminded to rejoice.
As if we would forget... but we do sometimes. Don't we?
The jammed parking lots… the noisy stores… the never ending To-do List…
It’s so easy to get lost in “the ordinary”. I often do.
The pink candle is a reminder to me, in the midst of my Christmas preparations,
that today, like every day, I must remember to do all of my work
with a joyful heart. Otherwise, I've missed the point of Christmas entirely.
So how does one stay connected with her spirit during such busy days?
I try to remember to weave small, sacred moments into every day.
And nothing helps me to transcend the ordinary like beautiful music...
while cooking,
driving,
any time.
This year, I’ve been especially drawn to “Christ Child’s Lullaby”,
an old Gaelic carol, sung by Mirabilis (it has been done by many others, too)
on an album called The Path. With simple acoustic guitar and recorder accompaniment,
their soft soprano voices wrap around these words beautifully:
My love, my pride, my treasure, O
My wonder new and pleasure, O
My son, my beauty, ever You
Who am I to bear You here?
I’m also listening to “Carol of the Bells” as my oldest child
prepares for her piano recital this coming weekend.
This has long been one of my favorites, and there’s something
especially moving about hearing it mastered carefully, line by line.
How do you stay joyful?
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