Prepare Your Heart For Christmas – Advent Week 1

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Prepare Your Heart For Christmas - Advent Week 1
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Most people really like Christmas. There are a few grinches who despise the annual celebration. But many more cherish this annual holiday. They lean into invisible qualities of hope and joy connected to the evergreen tree, lights and decorations, beautiful music, giving and receiving, special goodies, and moments of reflection. Unfortunately, many of these same “Christmas-loving” people feel overwhelmed at the hustle and bustle. So, how do you prepare your heart for this beloved holiday?

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How To Prepare Your Heart For Christmas – Advent #1

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
How To Prepare Your Heart For Christmas - Advent #1
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Most people really like Christmas. There are a few grinches who despise the annual celebration. But many more cherish this annual holiday. They lean into invisible qualities of hope and joy connected to the evergreen tree, lights and decorations, beautiful music, giving and receiving, special goodies, and moments of reflection. Unfortunately, many of these same “Christmas-loving” people feel overwhelmed at the hustle and bustle. So, how do you prepare your heart for this beloved holiday?

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Boundaries Help

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Boundaries Help
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We live with boundaries every day. Some examples: Your yard ends, and the neighbor’s yard begins. Countries have boundaries to define territory. Speed limits keep traffic in check to prevent accidents. The zoo has walls, cages, and glass to keep children safe as they enjoy animals. Walls and doors form rooms – helpful when you need to sleep or take a shower. Banks with safes protect money. Oceans caress the beach only to a certain distance. If boundaries are so common all around us, then why is it hard to place and keep boundaries to protect our hearts and minds? Afterall, boundaries help.

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Steps To “Turn the Corner” In A Loss

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Steps To "Turn the Corner" In A Loss
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Without any warning, something hits you hard – and you realize it’s challenging to manage a life loss! Sometimes, you feel you’re drowning in sadness . . . cut off from good things . . . observing others’ joy at a distant like a dream . . . wanting so badly for “normal” again . . . just  wanting hope to return. Yet, you still face your loss. So, how do you “turn the corner” in a loss?

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Prepare Your Heart For Christmas – Advent #1

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Prepare Your Heart For Christmas - Advent #1
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You prepare for Christmas in so many ways. But how do you prepare your heart?

Advent

The Christmas Advent Season has been richly celebrated for many years. Historically, an advent marks the arrival of a notable person or event. Often, a wreath with candles has been used during Christmas Advent, lighting a new candle on each of four weeks leading up to Christmas Day.

Even if you choose not to use a wreath with candles, there are simple, thoughtful ways you can prepare your heart.

This is the first in a series to help prepare your heart for Christmas. Each week we will light another candle in our hearts as a statement of preparation. (Notice each additional week’s article in this series has another candle lit in the main featured image.)

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Thankful While Busy

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Thankful While Busy
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As I’ve been preparing for a mostly traditional Thanksgiving meal, I’m reminded how much planning and preparation goes into special celebrations we treasure. These are added onto regular, daily activities and responsibilities. So, managing everything during holiday seasons is critical. Additionally, focus on the many reasons to be “thankful while busy” keeps you centered.

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When You Feel Empty

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
When You Feel Empty
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When I was a kid, I had an effective way of finishing a milk shake. A straw worked for most of it. But when I got down to those final noisy slurps, I worked with gravity. Turning the cup upside-down brought last drops to me. But when that was over, I stuck my tongue in as far as I could to gather up remaining morsels. THEN – my cup was truly empty! Nothing left! Satisfying, but also disappointing. Sometimes life drains your cup. That’s when you feel empty. It can be satisfying, but also disappointing.

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When You Are Weary

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
When You Are Weary
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I’ve been listening attentively to the news these recent months. Our world sounds weary. And since the globe is made up of individuals – like you and me – I’m guessing you may feel some weariness, too. In addition to managing weariness of your personal life, you likely feel some fall-out from all that’s going on globally. When you are weary, may you be encouraged by today’s content.

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Strategies Of Rest

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Strategies Of Rest
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When you start something – a fun adventure, a new program or plan, a fresh commitment, A NEW YEAR – it’s easy to be excited. Fresh starts are a kind of power launch that thrust you forward. Still, with life demands and problem-solving each day, how can you live with strategies of rest after the newness of a launch wears off?

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Wear ‘n’ Tear of Life!

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Wear 'n' Tear of Life!
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You’ve heard of wash ‘n’ wear. Those are the garments you throw in the washer, then the dryer, and even if you miss the dryer buzzer, they don’t wrinkle. You pull them out, put them on, and off you go! They look great. We like to think of ourselves as wash ‘n’ wear. But many days, it’s more like wear ‘n’ tear! We start a day as wash ‘n’ wear . . . and end up as wear ‘n’ tear.

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