We are into the Christian season of Advent, which literally means 'The Coming' and is traditionally a time of preperation and waiting for the coming of Christ.  In recent times, preperation has too often become a time of frantic activity, buying expensive gifts and mountains of food and worrying about pleasing everybody and getting everything right.

Two weeks ago a slip on the ice resulted in a broken leg which has brought me back (with a bump!) to perhaps the truer meaning of advent. Home from hospital at last, I thought I'd share some of my advent journey musings in the hope that it brings fresh insights to your own advent season.

Immobile in a busy trauma ward, I spent the five days waiting for an operation. Each morning I was 'nil by mouth' in the expectation of being done that day; each evening I was bumped off the list by emergency trauma victims in much greater need of urgent treatment. There was nothing to do but wait and my only choice was between patience or impatience! How to wait patiently, faced with my raised hopes each morning and disappointment each evening? I remembered a poem by Amy Charmichael, that affirms it is in ACCEPTANCE that we find peace. (You can download a copy of the poem below.) Of course it wasn't easy, but my waiting involved accepting the situation I was in without despair or resentment; embracing the waiting and responding as positively as I could.

What I like about Amy's poem is that it is both realistic and hopeful. It isn't in denial that we find peace; my broken leg will take many weeks to mend and it will involve pain and a drastic change in lifestyle; I am frustrated and fearful about this. Nor is it in submission; at times I felt overwhelmed by the ups and downs of that first week but I wasn't defeated; indeed the concern and support of family, friends, hospital staff and fellow patients was a powerful reminder of what truly matters in our short lives.

stream

Friends will know that I am not the most patient person especially when it comes to a situation of suffering or injustice; my natural drive is to make every effort to change things for the better. But Amy points out peace doesn't lie in endeavour; some things will always be as they are and can only follow the natural course. It is a key concept in Taoism; I have heard it explained by the image of a boulder in the path of a stream. You can struggle and crash against the boulder, even get your dynamite to blow it up! The way of Tao is to flow around it, as the stream, and know that gradually the water will wear it down until it is just a tiny grain of sand.

So now I am home and waiting for Christmas and healing. Accepting my broken leg as a boulder I have to flow around helps me to appreciate the present joy of care, love and concern from all my family and friends. Normally stubbornly independent, I am so grateful for this support. Waiting is not just about what is coming but also a thankfulness of what is already here, the timeless gifts of love and care.

So we start to prepare for our Christmas celebrations, knowing my physical and emotional constraints will make this year a very different experience. I couldn't indulge in any frantic activity even if I wanted to! At the moment I can't even finish the Christmas gifts that I have been making so presents will definitely not be the main feature of our Christmas. We aren't waiting for the coming of things but for the presence of love; and thanks to my broken leg I can say with joy and gratitude that I have already found it!