Day 1

The Trail: Psalm 139 7-10

I love the idea of a mysterious and unexplored trail. Mysterious because I don't know where it will end or how to get there. Unexplored means that there is sure to be an adventure in getting there.

In reality, I don't want to set out somewhere that I don't know where it leads and I definitely don't want to think that I am the absolute first one to follow an unknown trail. I like the idea of an adventure. I am less comfortable with the reality of an adventure.

What makes an idea more appealing than reality? Maybe it is because I am actually envision the outcome. I believe at the end of the mysterious and unexplored trail is something valuable. Maybe it is a story of overcoming, or treasure finding, or trust building. Maybe it is simply survival which is itself a grand victory.

Setting out on adventure is exactly what the Christmas season is. It is called 'advent' which is a first cousin word to 'adventure'; they both came from the same root word 'advenire', to arrive or about to happen. The Advent season is an adventure trail that leads to Christmas. It is both mysterious because we don't know how it will turn out and unexplored because every year it is different, sometimes drastically so. Advent is both an adventure and a destination.

Time to set out on the Advent Trail or the Trail to Advent. Now you know why either phrasing works.

Want to journal along? Here are some thought starters:

What comes to mind about past Advent Trails? What happened last year? 10 years ago? 20 years ago?

What comes to mind when you think of the BEST years?

What/who made them the BEST?

Something to share: About half of the world celebrates Christmas. It is a worldwide shared adventure.