“Advent in a Time of Mourning”

Grey hills fade into overcast skies,

night falls before we are ready,

prompting us to light up our world,

with brightly colored luminations.

It’s a good time to think upon

the coming of divine light

into profane darkness;

it is not a good time to ponder

the loss of one who carried that light

into your own life.

Advent is a time of waiting,

of being alert to the signs and signals

that God loves us

and is in our midst.

It is hard to wait, to be patient, to be alert, to see God

when one is filled with a sadness

that cuts to the bone

and reaches out to the horizon.

Advent in a time of mourning is,

like all the things in life that really matter,

both bitter and sweet.

To taste the emptiness that comes

when the one who brought you into this world goes out

is bitter.

Yet, to recollect her laugh, to relish her humor,

to recall her toughness and her love,

is sweet.

Advent in a time of mourning,

is waiting tinged with both sadness and hope;

sad for what is lost –

and hope for what is to come.

Delmer Chilton, 12/04/2014