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For me, tender childhood memories mix with loss. Christmas preparation was a wonderful time at our Minnesota home – cookies baking, presents arriving and snow falling by the vertical mile. But most of my memories circle around my mother, a faithful, joyful Christian. Little did I know then that she had an aggressive form of cancer. I was four when she was first hospitalized. She died when I was eleven.
Sadness happens most years, riding under the surface like a small shark, then suddenly popping up and gnawing at me. Perhaps it happens for you as well.
So in this time of joyous anticipation and somber reflection, what to do about those mixed emotions? Look to the women of the Bible, especially the strong, bold, outspoken women directly connected to Jesus’ birth: Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth and Anna. Collectively they dealt with the death of a son, the death of a spouse, harassment, infertility, fear, anxiety and grief. We can think of them as our spiritual grandmothers, our guides in traversing difficult ground. If we ignore their stories, we miss out on a host of resources – and perhaps, a richer Advent.
This message is excerpted from “Women of Advent” by Lindsay Hardin Freeman in the November/December 2021 Gather magazine.
Love Gather magazine and all their articles. Will move soon and need to move my subscription to the new address.
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