Advent, Thank You Notes, and Restraining Orders

Once again I have to admit Advent hasn't been the happiest time in my life....(It's waaaaay better than the year I thought all four children wouldn't be home, so I had to blow up Christmas.  (Read about that here... Blowing Up Christmas)

It all goes back to those gosh darn traditions and now having an adult child who has to actually work--so unfair!! SK doesn't get home until the 23rd with boyfriend in tow (and we're delighted but he should probably be briefed on all the traditions particularly where he's "allowed" to sit on Christmas morning.)

Anyway....

Our traditions start right after Thanksgiving and go all month, but not this year--the baby has also left us to go onto college--who said she could do that?!?!?! So it's been different this year and a little bit sad. And I've been a little melancholy.

Except at night...

Each night as I lie in bed I can see a house on the street behind us that is outlined in lights with green lights in the trees. It's beautiful, and it makes me smile. I leave the blinds open so every time I wake up during the night (and let's face it women my age wake up A LOT at night), I can see it. In the morning when I get up I run my hand along the window frame as a sort of good morning wave--I agree that is weird and I wasn't going to write it, but why stop censoring my thoughts now!

Yesterday, I did something that could potentially be considered a little stranger than the things I usually do (unless you count the time I went through my neighbor's recycling because I'd forgotten their names....)

I wrote a thank you note to the family in that house. I wrote it on my monogrammed stationary in a smallish envelope because I didn't want them to think it was a neighbor writing a mean note. Late yesterday evening Caroline and I drove over, and I slipped it in their storm door, again thinking if they got a blank envelope in their mailbox they might think it was junk mail...I put a whole lot of thought into this or rather into the creepiness of this. After I slipped it in, I ran back to the car. Caroline laughed and said, "Did you think they were going to chase you down?"

Later Chris and I were having dinner and I told him about it. He laughed and said, "I'm sure they will appreciate it even if they take a restraining order out on you." We laughed as did the hostess at our favorite place--side note, Chris also told her I had two restraining orders out on me in two different states and SHE BELIEVED HIM!!!! (The really frightening thing is she's one of my youth....what does that say about me? Please don't answer that.)

This morning when I passed the house on my run, the envelope was still in the door--guess I'm safe from an arrest for awhile--it made me think a little more about it.

Why is it that I had to think about the best way to make sure they'd read the note, and why was the joke about the restraining order funny but also almost believable? Has our world really become so jaded that people will think I'm completely off my rocker because I wrote a note to a family I don't know about their Christmas lights? The answer is possibly...and THAT is what REALLY makes me sad.

So I'm going to start a new tradition not only for this Advent season but for every season. I'm going to open my eyes to the many "lights" in the world that touch me, that remind me of humanity's goodness, that remind me that God is still actively participating in our world no matter how broken it seems, and I'm going to say (or write) thank you.