Second Week of Advent

The Season of Wonderful

It's the second week of Advent and I just finished decorating my house tonight. Diana Krall is singing Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep on her Christmas Songs CD. There are still a lot of rough edges around my life, my estrangement from my daughter, missing my grandchildren who live so far away in the Midwest. But somethings just have really sparkled my life this last week like believing in miracles.

First Miracle: my neighborhood is basically wonderful but had some bad places. The children are particularly sweet here. The neighborhood association has been cleaning it up by making landlords spruce up their properties, allowing us to report unruly neighbors, etc. We live around a lovely park which is still turning fall colors. The apartment across from my mine had been vacant for several months, and last month the maintenance crew remodeled it with new carpets, linoleum, paint and new windows. This week a man and his two young children just moved in, they had been homeless in a shelter, but he had a job. I just feel blessed to witness this event.

Second Miracle: one of my oldest friends in San Jose, someone I could call if I needed someone to lean on and she the same, called me to tell me what we had been off and on discussing for a year. Her boyfriend is now her fiance and is flying her to Oklahoma to be with him and is also moving her things back there this weekend! We had lunch yesterday to say goodbye and even though she had spoken with the movers that morning, she still wasn't completely convinced she was going! Her fiance and she have known each other for 8 years via Internet, phone calls and visits. She is going home and should be there by now! One of the best Christmas miracles I have ever seen!

Maybe there are some more coming next week! Good things come in 3's! Three is a divine number and it will be the third week of Advent! I wouldn't care though because these two were wonderful. (Maybe the new energy and environmental teams being assembled this week by President-elect Obama is the 3rd miracle!)