Post 16: Whatever Jingles your Bell

Thus far this week has been much better than last week.  No more wrong turns on one way streets and as a whole I have just felt better this week.  I picked up another student for tutoring, so I now tutor four high school kids. So I have that solid work 4-5 days a week which is fantastic.  And I'm still in schools about two to three days a week as well.  Yesterday I was only supposed to sub half the day at the high school and they called me in the morning to see if I was free for the whole day.  I'm only there for the last block of the day today, but the grade nines I will be hanging out with kept smiling and greeting me in the hall yesterday, telling me how excited they are that they get to have me (I believe one girl told me she was "Having a party in her head").

Several kids are starting to recognize me from church now (some had my husband as their youth leader is past years, and I do so love it when we walk into church and are greeted as "Jordan and Mrs. Visser").  As I was telling my husband about my day even he remarked "Those kids really seem to like you."

And it feels good.  I miss having my own classes, and I have found myself really missing my past students, especially with Christmas drawing close.  We started doing a little bit of decorating around the house this past week and as I opened one box I found all of my Christmas cards from last year.  I hadn't realized I had saved them what with moving and all, but I guess I had.  I read through them all, I saw each student's face pop before my eyes.  And it made me miss them so much.  All of their quirks.  Their smiles and laughs.

I love the challenge of supply teaching and trying to build relationships in a short period of time.  But boy do I miss having my own set of classes with students I get to see and touch base with everyday.

(Some of the little bits of decorating we have done).

But I got to do something this week that I didn't do last year and that I find very therapeutic.  I made Christmas cards.  And our cat decided to help me.

I'm not the most artistic person you will ever meet.  And my Christmas cards do not even come close to comparing with a lot of what I have seen people make.  But they are my chance to be a little creative in an artistic manner, and I am happy with how they look.  And I suppose Mortimer is too :)

So after a morning of cleaning, running, and organizing, I'm finally sitting down to rest for a bit before I have to head out to teach and then tutor afterwards.  Which means I'm drinking some chocolate chili chai (courtesy of David's Tea) in what to this day remains my all time favourite mug (thank you, Ashley.  You have such good taste).

Yup, that is an actual bell in my mug.  And it jingles every time I take a sip.  Seriously love this thing.  I can't wait for November to hit so that I feel I am justified in drinking from it.  Especially since we got snow this week, so I get to stare out our window and old homes dusted with white.

This feels like a strange post as I have shared a lot but nothing super deep.  I think today I just feel a little tired as I look over the last week or two.  Tired but very content.  And excited.  Christmas is coming and that always turns me into a little girl again.

One thing I'm really excited about is getting to be at the same church for most of Advent (I think we will only miss Christmas Eve).  Growing up we had Advent in the Anglican church (though I didn't really appreciate it at the time), and then in the Pentecostal church we attended it wasn't celebrated.  While going to a Mennonite church in Prince George and again in Williams Lake, I got to experience it, but the season was always broken up by visits or returning home for Christmas.

I love that idea of waiting in anticipation.  I keep thinking about the idea of Immanuel, and what it means for God to truly be with us.  I think of the changes of this year, gaining a husband but moving away from my immediate family, being close to my extended family but losing my Opa, forming relationships with my new family but also adjusting to difficulties of making close friends in a new place.  And God has been with me through each of the changes and adjustments.

We have a new associate pastor at our church, and when he preaches he likes to focus on the New Testament as fulfillment of the Old Testament.  Several weeks ago when he spoke he talked about the Ark of the Covenant and God's specific directions for making it.  About who was allowed to go near the Ark and who wasn't.  Who had access to God and who had to go through the High Priest.  About the lid of the Ark that had a cherubim on either side.

Then he took us to the Gospel of John where Peter and John come upon the empty tomb.  Where they come to the place where Jesus had been.  Where they see the stone his body had been set to rest.  And where two angels are sitting on either side.

Jesus' death and resurrection allowed us full access.  Because He became "God with us," we are now able to come before Him as we are.  He fulfilled the purpose of the Ark.

And so  in the next 34 sleeps leading up to Christmas (not that I'm counting or anything), I want to remember the Jesus came to be God with us.  I want to emulate Him and be aware of His presence.  I don't want to forget about Him or keep Him in the background in my girlish excitement for seeing family and friends and decorating my new house and drinking out of Christmas mugs.  I want Advent to be a season where I remember who He is and that He is present.  Where I celebrate what He has done, and look forward with eager anticipation to what else He has is store.  I want to join with the angels announcing Christ's birth, and sing "Glory to God in the highest."  May my life truly worship and glorify Him.