Advent in Me   I did not grow up in a religious tradition in which Advent was observed. Christmas was certainly a major holiday, though in retrospect the lead up to the holiday was mostly obscured by the commercial and material chaos of the season. It was a whole lot more about Santa and Madison Avenue than it was about the birth of Jesus. I hold no judgment around that. And I am grateful to have been introduced to the full Advent season as a result of coming to the Unity teachings. Advent literally means “coming to.” Advent is an invitation to not only acknowledge the birth of the historical Jesus but also to create a personal opening in which the Christ Presence may be born in

IN ALL THINGS “Be grateful in all things.” So the scriptures say. “Be grateful in all things." Grateful in all things? Really? What about that pesky physical symptom? What about the annoying neighbor with the blasting music? And what about the inability to locate a human being to which you can speak to resolve the reoccurring banking issue? How about those sugar ants? The person who has fourteen items in the ten or less? You say I should be grateful in all things? ALL? Are you kidding? I know from deep and personal experience that this is one of the most profound practices that we humans can ever engage in. While the surface mind and the personality self will go into a spasm of argument and contradiction