Advent: Wednesday, First Week

November 30, 2011

Observe quietly today: Is there some way to reach out, to extend an invitation, to care, to share?  In winding down my last few weeks at my current company, I have plenty of time for observation lately.  I'm observing busy bees around the office, bustling to make the clients and consultants happy while maintaining their own sanity.  I'm observing intimate meetings with coworkers where we laugh and joke around, but really hone in on some amazing new ideas for the business.  I realize no one can run the company alone.  It takes every moving part to make it work.  In the same way that an organization needs each of its members, people in and around one's personal life need other people too to help them fulfill their highest dreams and aspirations.

I've also observed this evening how much my husband and I depend on each other for laughter, strength, and overall wellness.  Sometimes we need to reach out to each other, even if we don't realize that we need to.  It takes that initial invitation to talk and to be a listener.  And, I value that so much.  What would he do without that person in his life to really listen, understand, and care so much?  Furthermore, I value just as much my friendships and family relationships.  It's easy to take for granted sometimes, especially in the age of social media, that I will always have someone to reach out to.  But, we need to be careful about that.  We all know that we can be friends with hundreds of people online, but what happens in a real time of need?  You need someone to trust.  You need someone to listen and bounce ideas off of.  Sometimes, those people don't come very easily, and you have to work to foster those relationships.  Sometimes, it's not very easy for some people to do the work.  Whether they battle shyness, extensive work schedules, alcoholism or drug abuse, physical disabilities that keep them bedridden, many people may not be able to have the resources to get out there and build these important relationships.

If organizations depend upon its members to operate, if husbands and wives depend upon each other for love and support, and if one relies on friends and family to care and share, then it is obvious that as humans, we need others to help us feel fulfilled, loved, and strengthened through our ups and downs. 

I'm imagining now the people who don't have that person... one person to reach out to when they're in need.  How isolating!  How lonely and frightful!  The sheer thought of such loneliness calls to mind a sense of desperation.  This seems to me now where the calling of sacrifice comes in for those of us who are fortunate enough to have a strong web of relationships upon which one can always rely.  It's easy to donate money or canned goods, but wow, it is difficult to donate one's time!  Taking two hours of one's very busy and regimented schedule to visit a lonely stranger in a long term care facility seems like a joke.  How can one possible fit that in too?  It's a decision.  It's a sacrifice.  You simply come home two hours earlier from the bar on Friday night, wake up two hours earlier on Saturday and just do it!  Connection to others is almost as vital as food, clothing, & shelter.  Imagine the overwhelming relief and sense of connection a person who never receives a visitor would feel with even one visit...one phone call!  You could really impact that person's life. 

There are many ways to reach out, to share, and to care.  It's time to make the decision to put them in action.  Tonight, I'll pray for all the lonely people in the world and for strength to make the sacrifice to reach out in a new and different way.

Recap - Observe quietly.  How can you reach out, extend an invitation, care, and share?
1.  Never take your relationships for granted.
2.  We need others to help us feel fulfilled, loved, and strengthened.
3.  Make a conscious decision to reach out to those most in need of a connection.

Advent: Monday, First Week

November 28, 2011

Today's Advent act is as follows:

Today use the time going from one place to another to wander as Mary wandered.  Think of gifts you will give and receive.  Often each gift has parts and packaging.  From beginning to end, from raw materials to assembly, think of the hands, from all the nations, that made your gifts.  Pray for the makers of the gifts you intend to give and those you will receive.

My path today was: home to work to Dress Barn to home.  That's it.  So, maybe I can ponder those trips from place to place.  This morning, a gift I received from my husband is just having him in my life!  :)  He was here today when I woke up, so that is always a special blessing.  Likewise, he receives the same from me.  Heading to work, I listen to the Catholic channel.  This is a great gift for me because it wakes my brain up with interesting perspectives and food for thought.  I don't think I give any gifts on my way to work, but maybe I could try to at least smile at a fruit stand vendor once in a while.

Once I'm at work, I suppose the gift I give is my contribution to my company.  I try to be responsible, patience, and respectful, and I hope that I lead by example.  Likewise, several people in my company inspire me daily with new ways of thinking and coach me with ways I can develop my skills and potential even more.  It is a great gift to be part of such a team!  After work, I headed to Dress Barn to get a dress for my brother's wedding this weekend.  I ended up with four dresses (...and a coverup, some earrings, and a purse).  I'm thankful for the wonderful lady named Maria who worked there.  She was extremely accommodating and polite, and she called me by my name throughout my shopping experience there.  That's something I could add to my list of gifts for others!  I'm thankful as well for the relatively inexpensive yet quality selection at Dress Barn.  :)  I appreciate the people who made the fabric and dresses.  So, I'll pray for those people today as well as Maria (and the other lady too, who rang me up and was not particularly as courteous...)

I made my way home for usual evening -- but Mondays at the Pitre household can only mean one thing: BILL NIGHT!!  Oh yeah.  So, I'm thankful for the people at HelloWallet.com who have created a fantastic cloud application for home finance management.  I'm sad Quicken doesn't keep up with Macs, but maybe the change to HelloWallet is good for me.  My gift to them, I suppose, is my support and my monthly subscription fee.  This Monday night is special too because the Saints game is on in the background.  Thank you Saints for playing an awesome game tonight!  We are 10 minutes away from winning!  Oh, and a lovely gift I received from my husband tonight as well was the dinner he made... or plated... for me.  :)  Granted, he took the leftovers from the container and warmed them up on a plate, but it was really sweet of him since that's normally my job.  I was almost overly excited about it!   It probably made my day.  :)

Obviously, I'm avoiding any thought process about Christmas gifts because I'm starting to feel the shopping paralysis.  I like the way this reflection forces me, though, to think about it.  Why we give and receive gifts at Christmas.  This year, I really want to put some good thought into my gifts so that people who are anticipating them are pleasantly surprised.  I want to support civilly responsible individuals and organizations, and I want to be generous with my gifts to people who love, support, and serve me throughout the year.  As I'm purchasing my gifts this year, I will try to remember and pray for those who created the gifts I will give to others and receive from others.

Recap: Think of gifts you will give and receive, and pray for the makers of those gifts.
1. Smile at people.
2. Try to remember people's names and call them by it.
3. Be generous with prayers and giving to those who love, support, serve, and give to you.
BONUS: Be even MORE generous to those who aren't so supportive.