Karey's Overflow: Advent Sunday 2

About Me

Name: Karey

Location: Colorado, United States

I garden at 8000 feet, cook from scratch, needle felt, read books continually, study history and epistemology, write daily, contemplate spiritual theology, and pursue heirloom arts. I love to paint pictures of living beyond maintenance -- living creatively, discovering beauty in everyday ordinary things. I've been happily married to Monte, who is a geologist, for a long time and still very much in love, even after raising a family and building two houses. Our children are our best friends. Heather is newly married to Bill. Travis, a minister of the fine arts, is married to Sarah. And Dawson is in college. I naturally live first-hand and have recently realized that this is how we educated our children and ourselves. I love to learn about everything, teach, and work with my hands. I love my home, but my life has overflowed -- as a teacher, radio/conference/retreat speaker, author, and most recently as a MOPS mentor. Kareyswan.com is an ideal way for me to share my overflowing life with kindred spirits and those hungering to move beyond maintenance -- to be known by who they are, not just by what they do.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Advent Sunday 2

This second week's candle in the Advent wreath is the Bethlehem candle. The bedraggled Joseph and Mary searched for a place to sleep.

"Love" was born in Bethlehem and Love asks us to be open.

I love the song "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" written around 1868 by Phillip Brooks. During a sabbatical he traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem by horseback on Dec 24, imagining Mary and Joseph on their journey and a field of the shepherds. He was overcome by the beauty and felt the peace. Then he attended a five hour service at the Church of the Nativity. This experience never left Brooks and he wrote the song for his church's children's choir to sing.

"How proper it is that Christmas should follow Advent. For him who looks toward the future, the manger is situated on Golgotha, and the cross has already been raised in Bethlehem."
- Dag Hammarskjold