The Huron Carol

Tonight, we went to Sam's Place on Henderson tonight to hear Sonya sing carols and read Christmas stories.  What a wonderful, relaxed Christmas-y evening.  Bren and I coloured winter pictures with wax crayons and sang carols while drinking coffee and sharing banana bread. Even though the last thing we need is books, we did buy a couple from their used book collection... i picked up the first Nancy Drew mystery for $1.50 ... a piece of childhood that I might read to my daughter this Christmas. (If she will allow it ...)

one of the stories Sonya told was about Canada's very own traditional carol.  It's heartwarming that it was written first in an Aboriginal language (Huron) and then later translated into French and English.  The nativity story is contextualized to help the original Canadians understand it.  You can listen (above) or read the lyrics (below).

The Huron Carol ('Twas In The Moon of Winter Time)

'Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled
That mighty Gitchi Manitou sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim and wondering hunters heard the hymn,
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Within a lodge of broken bark the tender babe was found;
A ragged robe of rabbit skin enwrapped his beauty round
But as the hunter braves drew nigh the angel song rang loud and high
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

The earliest moon of wintertime is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory on the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt with gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

O children of the forest free, O seed of Manitou
The holy Child of earth and heaven is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant boy who brings you beauty peace and joy.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Words: Jean de Brebeuf, ca. 1643; trans by Jesse Edgar Middleton, 1926
Music: French Canadian melody (tune name: Jesous Ahatonhia)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

mattering

Source: pinterest.com

Every year a theme word seems to find me.  A word that describes something I've been observing in my life, in my thoughts, in the environment and relationships around me. It becomes my word of the year.  It kinda emerges from stuff around me and informs whatever might be ahead of me.

The word this year is 'MATTER'.  

As in YOU matter, I matter, WE matter.

Our stories matter, too. 

It's so easy to marginalize people and ideas and stories. Its so easy to push aside our own sadnesses, our victories, our defeats, our resilience. It all matters, but we treat it as insignificant. We do it to ourselves and we do it to others.

Whether it's through my counselling practice or other areas of life,  I've been realizing how common it is to feel overlooked, how often we overlook ourselves, how easily we discount our experiences or our feelings. We label and judge our own and others' behaviour and actions. I find myself being attentive to it lately, wondering why some things get to count and others don't. Why it's easier to believe crap about ourselves than courage?  Why do some events or beliefs carry more weight than others? Why is it so easy to rob dignity from others and their experiences, to say that it doesn't matter?

When I started thinking that MATTER was the new word of the year, I was reluctant about it.  I didn't want to be self-centred or individualistic. 

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that when we believe that we matter, we are more likely to find our purpose and connect with it. We're more likely to live as if it's NOT just  'all about me and what I want' when we believe that we matter. How's that for irony? When we're feeling invalid and unworthy, we're more likely to lose our way and get off track, focusing primarily on ourselves and getting our empty tank re-filled. 

Knowing that we matter equips us; not knowing it diminishes us.

MATTER is my word of the year because I want to continue growing in my understanding of mattering.  Other words like significance, belonging, confidence are similar, but somehow the essence of mattering; believing that we/I matter - that's what has been speaking to me lately. I'm looking forward to how this word will continue to shape me, my practice, and my relationships in the year ahead.

Other 'year words' have been decentered (2010), tension (2009), sustain (2008), and clarity (2007).

from http://dynamiccollaborations.files.wordpress.com

advent

advent reflections this year have been a blessing - I say that every year and its always true.  I was particularly encouraged by an early december reflection about the church year - which begins with advent.  David wrote about the difference between ordinary time and extraordinary time.  We are in ordinary time all year, except during Advent and Lent - those are 'extraordinary times' in the church calendar.  Since I began observing lent and advent many years ago, it would seem that these extraordinary times have shaped my growth and my devotion.  The most poignant times in my spiritual life are often traceable to lenten or advent reflections.   I remember sitting in our prayer room on Parr street about 10 years ago when John 15 came alive for me in ways that I still recall like it was yesterday - the moment is frozen in time and the memory is sacred. Matthew 11 was part of our morning reading today and I recalled sharing about that passage during advent in a Saskatoon church a couple of years ago.  Another time, way back in the days when we were at FGMB, I remember another sharing out of Mt 11 with a moms group.  Extraordinary indeed.

Imagery is so often an important part of my devotional life; and this advent season has found me picturing waiting and emptiness as I read and pray.  Our community's morning prayer includes the line; 'I will come, in my innermost self, to the courts of my God, and show myself to Him again.'  Each day, saying those words has generated a mental picture of what I see when I contemplate showing my inner self to God.  Now, during advent, the 'showing myself' has changed to a picture of hopeful, anticipatory emptiness - waiting to be filled, to be cleansed, to be healed... in the courts of my God, Emmanuel.

We have heard with our ears, O God,

our ancestors have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days,

in the days of old:

you with your own hand drove out the nations,

but them you planted;

you afflicted the peoples,

but them you set free;

 for not by their own sword did they win the land,

nor did their own arm give them victory;

but your right hand, and your arm,

and the light of your countenance,

for you delighted in them.

 You are my King and my God;

you command* victories for Jacob.

Through you we push down our foes;

through your name we tread down our assailants.

For not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

 But you have saved us from our foes,

and have put to confusion those who hate us.

 In God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name for ever.

Ps 44

messy Christmas

Merry Christmas! it's great to have a few minutes to sit in the midst of a busy day.. do I spend it on research as I should? Of course not...!

We read the Christmas story this morning, and then a little commentary about it that talked about mess.

the shepherds, their sheepy smell, the manger, the fact that a more desirable lodging was nowhere to be found, Mary's pre-married state, strangers everywhere instead of anything familiar, a manger instead of a cradle, chaos and noise ... The reading talked about how much we wish the story was more like the front of a Christmas card and how little the images we often see actually resemble what the reality was...

Isn't that the truth!? We want our family's and our homes and everything around us to 'look right', and we're a little shy about folks seeing the mess underneath. We present a sanitized version... but God didn't, and it's pretty important that the story is just as it is.

As we prayed after reading the story, we prayed that we'd be more okay with mess.. that we wouldn't feel so ashamed or exposed when the stuff underneath shows through to the surface... that we could find ways to live more joyfully in the tension that is our neighborhood and our uncertainty about our own future. As Bren was praying, the idea of shalom meeting mess came into my mind as I imagined the scenes from the Christmas story.

God seems to work in the midst of mess, and trying to make things appear 'just right' is not only evidence of our desire to be our own God, it erects walls that we then need to maintain...

Maybe i should have tried to come up with some more fuzzy or nice thoughts to share on Christmas day.. but these are the 'messy' ones that showed up today!

We do wish you a merry, merry Christmas! Thanks for reading.

amazed

Yesterday, our family received the best gift we've ever gotten. No joke. Someone could give us a new car or a cruise in the tropics and it would not compare.

We've made a friend in our neighborhood, I'll call him Sam.

Sam lives across the street from us in a building on Jarvis and Main. He mustn't spend much time in his suite though, because he is always around. I see him often when I meet the kids at the bus stop, or if we go for a walk, he sometimes joins us, because he's just hanging around.

Sam knows everything that is going on around the neighborhood, he'll tell you who the police were talking to, when they were at a certain location, .. he can almost always tell you who was doing what, and when they were doing it. He won't normally tell you why though, he's a facts only kind of guy!

Sam's story is a sad one. He was assaulted with a metal pipe many years ago, right on Main street, and suffered extensive brain damage. His memory is full of holes.. but is amazingly sharp at the same time. He doesn't forget an appointment or a date; if we say we're all going out for lunch in two weeks, he doesn't need to be reminded! (In fact he reminds us!) Or if we invite him to an event, like the coffee house we had last week, he just remembers and comes... right on time! But, if I ask him if he knows our names... not so much. He just gets this twinkle in his eye, scratches his head and says.. 'I forget'. He is coming for breakfast on Christmas morning, and I already know the doorbell will ring at exactly 10am... and he'll be wearing a new shirt, because we told him it's a special occasion.

Yesterday, at drop in, Sam brought our family some Christmas presents. A pair of socks for Owen, a scarf for me, a Christmas stocking with soap for Syd, and gloves for Bren. ohh... and sweets. He always gives us sweets!

I will wear my new scarf often, thankful most of all for the gift of this friendship.

advent thoughts

for advent, I've been contemplating Isaiah 30. I was looking and reflecting in November for something to focus on for advent and this passage felt like the place to park for a while. Some other Flatlanders have been trying to read this chapter, too. On sunday night, a few of us lit some candles and went around in a circle reading sections, then we talked about it together.

Two other advent thoughts that have really been meaningful this season;

• the various ways and contexts in which people have sung, prayed, or even cried out: "Come, Lord Jesus". When I think it, pray it, or sing it, I see images - faces, stories - from the last few months and it means something totally new. And I FEEL these words so much more than I ever have.
• Expectancy. Sometimes it is celebratory and almost carefree to wait upon the Lord. We are full of trust and hope. Sometimes, it feels like 'lament' is all we know. We remember the hope, but can't regain it. Expectancy.

Here are a couple of verses from Isaiah 30 .... (NRSV)

"For they are rebellious people, faithless children, children who will not hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, "Do not see", and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophecy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel."

....

"For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. But you refused and said, 'No, we must flee upon horses.'

...

'Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therfore he will rise up to show mercy to you. for the Lord is a God of Justice; Blessed are those who wait for him.'

...

What is meaningful for YOU this advent season? What new things are you learning about waiting.. arriving.. expecting.. hoping... Emmanuel?

word of the year

Sometimes it seems like lessons in various life circumstances conspire to teach you something. I started noticing this pattern in my own life a couple of years ago, which coincided with a new job at the same time .. so I came up with a 'word of the year' concept and tried to be really intentional about letting an idea that 'found me' continue to shape and teach me things over a period of time. I tried to be intentional about letting it inform my actions ...

Two years ago, the word was CLARITY. Last year, the word was SUSTAIN. It's amazing to me how relevant those concepts have actually been, and how they've woven through every aspect of my life! Hindsight reveals much, hey?

I realized this week that in spite of new circumstances, a theme has once again found me. This year's word is TENSION.

I'm learning that I've never really been okay with tension. I'm not referring to conflict here, but the tension that simply exists in life. Tension like the evidence of joy amid suffering. Tension like realizing that we can be mature and foolish at the same time. Tension that comes from feeling despair and hope in the same moment. Tension that is like coexisting poles. I've always wanted to opt for one pole and correct the other to be more like the one I prefer.

During advent I want to explore this more; in fact I can't think of a more fitting time to consider this topic.

If you have a few minutes, check out this Stanley Hauerwas video.

http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/index.php?ct=store.details&pid=V00684

(thanks jeff!)

how about you? - what themes have found you at the right time in your life?

Zofia

Gifts are something worth sharing about.

PEOPLE are the some of the best gifts we can ever receive.

RELATIONSHIPS are so important to all of us.

As I type this, my good friend Zofia is asleep in our spare room. She was our neighbor in Winnipeg. Our houses were so close that one could reach out our north-south facing windows and touch the other! Her oldest son's room looked into our room. (Those blinds stayed closed 90% of the time!! )

Zofia is a gift. She won't mind if I tell you about her, she is a very open person and believes that if parts of her story can encourage or inspire others, then it should be shared.

She moved from Poland with her husband and young son 20 years ago. I might be getting details mixed up, but I think her first home in Winnipeg was in the basement suite of a house on the street we lived on - but not the house she eventually bought.

Her children are (today) between the ages of 8 and 26. Her youngest three children were born in Canada. She will be a grandmother in a few months. She laughs when I talk about her looks, but she is very young looking and -in my opinion -glamorous - especially when she is going to church. :) Her commitment to the Polish Catholic faith is complete, and her youngest child is now attending catechism each week.

After some difficult times in her life, she spent some time reflecting. She calls it her awakening. I was privileged to be close enough in proximity and relationship to journey along with her on parts of the process. She even says that one day at lunch I called her 'strong' and convinced her that she might be. I think she was just open and ready to grow.

The awakening was in many ways spiritual (or at least, that was the most evident part to me). She became increasingly aware of God's presence in her life and realized that he'd been there all along, but she just hadn't been as aware. All of a sudden, music, sunrises, conversations, tears, patients in her health care role, her children -most things in her daily life - took on new meaning and she saw something deeper. Her world was different. There was a new beauty in every day and I actually saw this happening in her. Conversations with her changed, her voice and even her face changed as she 'awoke' to something new. She started each new day feeling with a security and faith that were becoming companions and increasing her joy.

There have been many changes in her life since she 'awoke' - most of them difficult ones. But she continues to align her life and choices with the things she's realized. For example, she told me last night that her children will find very little in the way of 'things' under the tree at Christmastime from now on - instead money will be spent on EXPERIENCES to enjoy together. (they went on a four week holiday to Europe this past summer and she takes them to plays and performances as often as she can...)

Zofia is a poet.

We spent some of our time together typing and editing her poetry... I'm attaching two of my favorites.. one old (from when we were neighbors) and one that she just shared with me.

(remember that english is Zofia's 2nd language.. so try to hear the poems with a wonderfully accented voice... :)

Droplets that Broke the Spell

The droplets were falling slow
From every direction that I’ve ever known
Every one came on time, landed deep
I couldn’t run away from them or skip

The droplets were timely, it wasn’t a chance
They would not allow me to live in the same trance
Every one brought its message, made me think
If I continued on the same course, I would only sink

The awakening had happened to me
Because my spirit was meant to be free
Wasn’t meant to be suppressed and kept in a cage
Such a treatment is certain to trigger some rage

The next chapter is up to me to write
If only the guidance sustains by my side
I received special tool, I can’t afford to lose
I hope the page stays open so I can use
The gift that I was presented for free
Which was the understanding that made me to see
That everything is different, nothing is the same
I was allowed to enter another life game

The awakening had happened to me
Because my spirit was meant to be free
Was meant to be loved, cherished every day
Such assurance is certain to keep me on the right way

My heart’s deep desire is answered at last
I need to stay tuned, so it would not pass
I hope the droplets will continue to appear
So one day I can say: “ I am completely free, without fear.”

The Power of Thought
There is way more here for me
Than your naked eye can see
I am following my dream
Its not triggered by a sin
There is thought behind my action
You could say I’m on a mission
The light is green, its only fair
I’m taking time to thoroughly prepare
My intention stays the same
Regardless of what you say
It will not weaken my strength,
It does not matter what you think
The presumption is on you
The conclusion that you drew
Is a product of your thought
Will not change the way I talk
There is way more here for me
Than your naked eye can see
I will try and try again
As long as it won’t cause pain
As long as its meant to be
The result will come, you’ll see
Impossible is nothing, dear,
Something whispers to my ear
Don’t you try to stop me now,
I’m determined, my dear pal
I feel this internal need,
I’ll try hard- I might succeed
I will not be stopped by fear
I’ll pursue my dream, its near
If I gave up, never tried,
I could waste my entire life

Merry Christmas

I found a neat video posted on one of Jamie's sites; the Little Flowers Community. It's an advent reflection assembled by Christine Sine, check it out here.
I've had a link to Jamie's blog ever since I started blogging. He's a fellow Winnipeg-er, and co-directs YWAM Urban Ministries Winnipeg with his wife. We don't know each other well, but I've learned a bit from reading his ideas -I'd encourage you to check his blog from time to time. I'm usually inspired when I do. The Little Flowers community is an intriguing partnership with Mennonite Church MB - I almost wish we still lived in Winnipeg so I could learn more about it!

I also got this you tube video from a friend. It has scenes from the Nativity Movie set to Christmas music.

If you have a minute, enjoy!

** look for an upcoming post with Christmas photos.. we had an awesome and memorable celebration with the Shields' and the Marsolais' --- fiddling and playing the spoons were part of the evening program :) .. and we weren't even in Quebec! Crazy things happen when you get all the french speaking people in one town together on Christmas day...!! **

Can you feel it?

There are a couple of repeated messages/news items that I keep hearing lately.. some people are connecting them. I'm with them...

First, the economy is the biggest news item going. Even the seasonal cards and letters we received at work were laced with references to our sagging and struggling economy. You can't open a magazine or a news site without hearing about how bleak and difficult things are.

Second, is a growing desire to return to simpler lifestyles, frugal choices.. consuming less and losing the motivation to accumulate stuff. Being more contemplative about how we live... a desire for more being replaced with a desire for less... Macleans had a cover article about frugality recently that helped me to see that this is a bigger trend than I had thought.


Have you noticed it too? This week, I was reflecting on this and wondered if the Spirit of God is behind it all.. you know, we (I?) tend to think of the Spirit often in terms of our personal lives, our own needs, relationships, our context... (or maybe thats just me) - we sometimes neglect to consider the larger picture, the ways that a sovereign God interacts with humanity and creation. It seems like there is something afoot in North America. I'm excited about what this means for North American Christians... Many people are listening, caring, longing to rightly respond... I read their books, blogs, and articles. Even though I have difficulty connecting the overall state of Christianity in our culture with the individual people that I interact with and know... the truth is that the church has somehow failed the rest of the world. It feels like we're realizing that, and wanting to do more about it. It feels like real justice, mercy, compassion, selflessness are increasingly pursued and noticed. It feels like we're seeing that we need to do more than send a few missionaries or service workers overseas, or more than sending a cheque in the mail. It feels right.

__________________________________

So often during this advent season, I've bowed my head to pray and the prayer that springs immediately to mind is: 'Come, Holy Spirit..'

So now, I pray it for our world.. Come.. Holy Spirit.. be sovereign over our lifestyles, our culture, our blind spots, our priorities.
___________________

My growing Christmas wish list:

• I wish for children all over the world to be cared for.



• I wish for diseases and medical concerns that could be easily treated in the first world to be easily treated everywhere.



• I wish to be cured of Affluenza.



• I wish for no children to be involved in the sex trade.



• I wish for no children to ever have to become soldiers.



• I wish for access to clean water for people all over the world.



• I wish for people with much to be willing to share, to take responsibility.



• I wish for sustainable lifestyles all over the world.



• I wish for corrupt governments to become just.



• I wish for the horrible disease of greed to be cured.



• I wish for people people to stop doing nothing because they think they can't make a difference anyway.



• I wish for courageous, innovative, inspired leaders to show us how to rethink our faith and our responsibilities.

I hope some of you readers will interact with these observations.. I know I'm not the only one thinking about this stuff...

My Christmas List

... maybe its advent conspiracy, or maybe it was the message in church yesterday, or some combination of recent reflections... but I've been thinking about what I really want for Christmas. Christmas lists are one LIST I never got into the habit of making.. so for Mom, who told me on Sunday that she reads this blog often .. here, finally, is the Christmas list you always asked me for... although, maybe this isn't what you had in mind? :)

• lots of conversations where people are truly themselves, not being false or pretending


• to have lower expectations and be less critical


• to be the kind of person who always offers dignity and grace to EVERYONE


• to be wiser about time- maybe more efficient


• FUN!!


• lots of eye contact, hugs and other evidences of relationship


• a sense of true connection with others


• to trust God more, be worried less


• to offer the kind of friendship that really hears and doesn't judge


• a cleaner house


• to grow in discernment, taking seriously the command to really see and really hear


• A book recommended to me called "the same kind of different as me"

...think about it!

It's so expensive!!!

How often do we say that? In my mind, anytime I'm in a retail establishment, that statement is like a skipping CD over and over and over as I shop and compare and decide what to leave on the shelf and what to take home ... and how do I determine what is expensive and what is affordable? By comparing items to each other, of course. I do this all the time!!

But I was just doing a little surfing (explained once again by the fact that I'm supposed to be writing a research paper!) and I was on the Me to We site... I heard Craig Kielberger in Winnipeg a while back, at the Delta (where all the best breakfast meetings were always held with the tastiest orange juice in the city!.. and a parking lot that took me ALL the years I lived in that city to figure out!)...anyway, Me to We is marketing clothing now, so I was having a look. and of course, it ran through my head.....These t-shirts ARE SOOOO EXPENSIVE. and then a post began to form in my mind.

I was remembering a video I watched on Jeff's site, all about the product chain from production to consumption to disposal ... and one of the things mentioned was EXTERNALIZING COSTS. -Fancy phrase for something that retailers and manufacturers conspire to do in order to make other (poorer) people pay so the wealthiest people in the world can have more stuff for less money. (Thats the kelly interpretation)

Think about it.. I'll tell you a little of my journey with thoughts like this. I have been thinking about it. You know those shoe boxes we send to children in developing countries? Our family did them for years, some years we'd do 5-6/year. Then, one year, there was this great new store to help us with the shoebox items... Dollarama. I shopped at the first one in Winnipeg, on N. Henderson. It was awesome! They had much better selection than other dollar stores we'd bought items from, and I could get stuff for boys or girls, all ages, all in one stop. Great! Doing good deeds and convenience all wrapped up in one nice package with big green and yellow lettering. Makes me all ready for the holidays.
But hold on... how can these toothbrushes and pens and puppets and books and flashlights and crayons and socks and dolls and masks and toys all be $1 each?!?!??! How can the overhead, the wages, the shipping, the marketing, the manufacturing, everything be covered by my measly little loonie?

Something is fishy here... It just doesn't make sense. Someone, somewhere is paying for this because there is NO WAY that the costs and profits (and you can bet your very last loonie that Profits aren't the thing being sacrificed for me to pay low prices!!) are being covered by the retail price I'm paying.

Hey... wait a minute... I wonder if the economic circumstances in all those countries where the thousands and thousands of shoe boxes are being sent are helped or hindered by my ability to buy goods for $1 and ship it back to them in a nice Christmas-y box? ... Hmmmm...

So back to Me to We... that 'expensive' clothing? Here's some info about it...

"Our product line is domestically produced, sweatshop-free and made using certified organic cotton and bamboo. In addition, 50 per cent of our profit goes to our charity partner, Free The Children, to support development projects in rural and impoverished areas across the globe. It’s responsible clothing for responsible living."

Not really that expensive, now that I think about it.

... when something is INEXPENSIVE for me... its likely EXPENSIVE for someone, somewhere. So comparing items on the shelf to each other... probably not really the right considerations to determine what is or is not expensive.

Happy Shopping.. and Merry Christmas.

Collaborative Journals and Advent

Lisa and I spoke at the Hepburn Ladies retreat. The planning committee told us that women were loving the yearly retreat, but often felt like busy-ness kept them from deeper connections on a regular basis (...everyone's life is so full) So, we asked ourselves what could be done to make the retreat to last longer than a weekend.. how connections made could continue, and women could keep 'journeying' together.

We came up with this idea of Collaborative Journals. In preparation, we did one together from the beginning of Sept. to the end of Oct. The way we did it was to pass it back and forth on Sundays... each having the journal one week on, one week off. Each week, each entry was different and unique. Some entries were prayers, some reflections, some poetic, some incorporated pictures and scrapbook-like pieces... sometimes we talked back and forth through the pages...

At the retreat, there was a sign-up for any women who wanted to do their own collaborative journals. All four we brought were spoken for, and even more women took the idea away and added their own creative twists. We've heard about lots of collaborative journaling taking place: spouses , mothers and daughters, small groups, even families.

This process reawakened my passion for journaling... I haven't stopped since early Sept. My previous pattern was to journal through anxious or difficult times, but not otherwise. I've started a journal with my sisters (I look forward to getting it no later than Dec. 8, Lisa!!) and was inspired to start another one with a good friend I really miss -- Cory, it will arrive in your mailbox shortly!


I was planning a post about advent conspiracy, but Jess did a really great job of that, so you can just read hers. Our church is engaging in AC this year, and I am looking forward to how that will be. The season quickly approaches, and I am so looking forward to it. I LOVE this time of year. I have so many great memories of family times around our advent wreath, the kids doing little puppet shows, praying for friends and family, preparing together for Jesus' birth. I hope to decorate the house soon. Although I've heard our favorite tree, Sir Uglyton, may have been pitched, so I might be very sad when the boxes come upstairs....

I found this funny little thing here ---- Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences. * An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment. * A loss of interest in judging other people. * A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others. * A loss of interest in conflict. *A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.) * Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation. * Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature. * Frequent attacks of smiling. * An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen. *An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.