Advent has been one of my favorite times of the year for as long as I can recall.
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
These lyrics from “O Little Town of Bethlehem” remind me why the Christian liturgical year starts on the first Sunday of Advent, weeks before Christmas.
Fall is a gift. Of course, all of life and nature are too, but fall in New England is truly a gift. Residents of the valley know this, surrounded as we are by daily reminders in the color of the leaves, the taste of cider and pumpkin bread, and the rare afternoons when the air is just a little crisp, but not yet so cold we think twice before going out.
I have been asked to share more about my sabbatical, so here it is.