Happy New Year! (New church year, that is!)

Today is Advent 1 in the Episcopal Church. It's the first day of the new church year, Year One for the Daily Office readings. We'll be reading the Revised Common Lectionary for Year B.

Advent is one of two penitential seasons in the church year - the other being Lent - which are precursors to the two major holidays of the church. Observing the penitential seasons heightens the anticipation and deepens the joy of the Christmas and Easter celebrations. Additionally, observing Advent can emphasize the gulf that separates the secular celebration of Christmas from the religious celebration of the birth of Jesus.

I offer you links to some religious Advent calendars. Enjoy them as you munch your bit of chocolate from a calendar you may have picked up at the store!

Episcopal Diocese of Washington Advent Calendar

Artcyclopedia Advent Calendar

Beliefnet Advent Calendar

Explore Faith Advent Calendar

Trinity Church Wall Street Advent Calendar

This last link is for a group called Advent Conspiracy which encourages us to "Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All." Check it out!

In recognition of the new church year, I annually make a resolution on Advent 1 to read scripture and a meditation each day. So, here goes! Happy New Year!

Touring

Most of my traveling in the past few years has been done with groups of people... mission trips, field trips with kids, church retreats. I have rarely given myself the time to take leisurely photos. Recently, I had the luxury of a weekend away from home, including a solo tour of a major tourist location.

At the Alamo, I rented the headset tour and actually hit "pause" when I didn't want to move along! I got to walk at my own pace! Wow. And I got to sit through the whole docent lecture where I finally understood the Texas independence idea.

The morning was chilly and overcast, the crowd had not yet arrived. It really was a luxury to pause where I wanted and stay until I felt ready to move along. So, enjoy some close-up photos... my attempt at artsy. Note to self: get to know my point-and-shoot camera a little better!

Now, it wasn't all solo touring. On Saturday, my tolerant husband walked with me through the King William district and around the local missions.

It was nice to get off the beaten tourist path. There are still some things I'd like to see in San Antonio, maybe we'll get back there someday.

Years In the Making

Sunday afternoon my daughters and I heard that Obama would make an election eve visit to Manassas. We locked eyes and asked, simultaneously, "wanna go?"

Monday afternoon found us on the road to the Prince William Co. fairgrounds. The normally 45 minute drive took us just over two hours to accomplish; we arrived after dark. An excited crowd made its way to the rally area. We were already too late to get very close to the stage, but we did end up getting a spot with a clear view to the speakers' podium. Barack was to arrive at 9:00. The crowd was pretty patient as we stood shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting for the presidential candidate to arrive. Finally, at 10:30, after 6 rounds through the DJ's playlist, two performances by a local gospel group and speeches from several Northern Virginia candidates, the music blared and a slender man in shirt sleeves bounded onto the stage. For 40 minutes he thanked us for being there, told us stories, made us promises, and lived up to our expectations.

After Obama's speech, 100,000 people turned toward home. Getting out of the fairgrounds could have been a study in currents as we flowed across the fields, stalled out at fences, crossed the road and searched for the car. That's right, we couldn't find the car. By the time we did come across the car, gridlock kept us in the parking lot until 1:30 a.m.! When we finally drove out of the fairgrounds area, it was all green lights between Manassas and Reston. Head met pillow about 2:30 a.m. Alarm was set to be at the polls by 5 a.m.

My neighborhood has always had a great turnout for elections. This November was no exception. And, true to tradition, we went for Obama almost 3 to 1 in my precinct.

Wednesday morning was amazing. As the school staff arrived, we grinned, hugged and cried in celebration. But the most amazing interchange happened when 6 little kids came by my desk to say good morning.

"It's a great day," they said. Really? Why? "Because Obama won!" What's so cool about that? "Well, my mom was crying!" But, why is it so cool he won? At last one of them said, "Because he's black!" Yep. You know, I told them, every president before this one has been my color... now we have a president the color of my friends! Look, I said, pointing at the six of them, he's the same color as you! Now, go study! He wouldn't have won if he hadn't worked so hard in school!

I think Barack's win has been three generations in the making. Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus the year I was born. My parents guided my siblings and me through conversations without stereotypes as we watched the civil rights movement unfold in the 1960s. My parents nodded their heads when Martin Luther King expressed his dream of people being judged by their character, not the color of their skin. My generation has continued working to eliminate racial labels. My own children grew up immersed in the diverse population of Northern Virginia. I think that my daughters are part of a generation that is living into Dr. King's dream... skin color is not what they use to define the people they know.

So, thanks, Mom and Dad, for your progressive thinking during my youth. And thanks, you young folks, who raised the energy level around a junior senator from Illinois, showing the rest of us that he's got what it takes to lead this country and that it's time to judge a candidate, this candidate, by the content of his character.

I have friends who were not allowed to drink from water fountains I could have used. They wouldn't have been able to sleep in motels where my family stayed as we drove across country. They might have bought food in the same restaurant, but they would have had to eat it outside. I didn't know them when I was growing up, I've met them in the past 20 years. Because of my friendship with them, I am even more grateful to the people who have sacrificed so much for the civil rights movement. We have a huge responsibility to make sure this president gets to do the job he has promised to do. The election was just the first step. We'll have to stay fired up, ready to go.