Hurry Up and Wait

I was going to title this post “Felis Pasgua,” one of the ways to say, “Merry Christmas” in Chamoru. Then I remembered–it’s not Christmas, it’s Advent.

Advent, in the pop culture sense, is the countdown to Christmas. Advent calendars, both store-bought and DIY, have become ubiquitous in the secular world, providing a fun (and, often, tasty) way for the young and young-at-heart to mark off the days from December 1 to Santa’s arrival. For Christians, Advent is a liturgical season that begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Day. It’s a time of waiting and preparation for the arrival of Christ. Adding figurines to the creche (Nativity scene) and lighting the candles on the Advent wreath, one each Sunday, are important parts of the celebration for congregations, families, and individuals. Both secular and liturgical Advent share a key characteristic—waiting. Nearly a month of it. Waiting for the big day.

I hate waiting. Patience is not my virtue. I’m more the get-it-done-and-get-it-over-with type. Why wait?

Why wait? Because waiting gives you time to prepare. A waiting period is not necessarily an idle period. Waiting gives you time to organize and plan, too cool off if needed. Waiting avoids the perils of rushing into things headlong and heedless.

We Missdemeanors are waiting. We’ve had changes in membership and changes in technology and we’re taking the opportunity to re-consider who we are and in what direction we want to take our blog. This is our Blog-vent.

I wish I had a chocolate-filled Blog-vent calendar to help pass the time of preparation. Absent that, this week I’ll share some pretty photos from Guam, an island in the Pacific far removed from the dark and cold and snow plaguing much of the continental U.S this time of year. Pretty pictures—like chocolate—make waiting easier, without the calories.

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How do you pass the time while waiting for something big? Comment here or join the conversation on Facebook.