But as I've gotten older, I've realized that Advent is actually asking something much deeper of me.

Advent means waiting. And waiting, I've discovered, is a spiritual practice that our culture has almost completely forgotten. We're taught to be efficient, to minimize waiting, to have everything immediately. But Advent calls us to something counter-cultural: to slow down, to anticipate, to sit in longing.

When I light the Advent candles each week, each one represents a different dimension of what I'm preparing for. Hope, peace, joy, love. But here's what I've learned: I can't actually receive these gifts if I'm rushing toward them. I have to let them come to me. I have to create space for them through waiting and prayer. 🕯️

This year, I'm paying attention to what happens in me during Advent. I'm noticing how my body slows down, how my mind becomes clearer, how I naturally become more reflective. It's like the season itself is inviting me into a different rhythm—one that's more aligned with my soul's actual needs.

I've started a practice where each week I journal about what's happening inside me, not what I'm doing externally. How is my hope being tested? Where am I struggling to find peace? What would it mean to choose joy in this difficulty? Where do I need to receive love? These aren't easy questions, but Advent creates the container where they can be asked.

The Church teaches that Advent isn't just about preparing to remember Christ's birth in the past. It's about preparing to encounter Christ in the present. It's about awakening. How can you encounter something you're not prepared to receive? 💭

Many of my friends think I'm intense about this. They don't see why I can't just enjoy the holidays without all the prayer and reflection. But I've found that the reflection is what makes the joy real. Without it, Christmas feels hollow. With it, Christmas feels like coming home to something true.

By December 25th, I'm not the same person I was on December 1st. The waiting has changed me. And that, more than any gift, is the miracle I'm actually hoping for. ✨