Advent III Seeing the Ocean

“I never want to own a place at the beach, because I never want to stop seeing the ocean.”

When I first heard the remark above, I twisted my head like others in the audience. Then, I understood what he was trying to say. As someone passionate about the sea, he didn’t want to live at the shore where he would grow used to the view and stop appreciating its magnificent beauty.

Such wisdom applies to much more than where we live, and Advent offers a wonderful opportunity to reclaim our appreciation for the people, places, and things which surround us. Over the years, we grow accustomed to our surroundings and no longer see them for the gifts they are. In some cases, we stop seeing them all together.

We no longer see our Christmas trees, and decorating our houses becomes a chore.

We don’t hear the carols any more, let alone sing them like we did as children.

We tell our children to hurry and get in the car and forget when they were all we hoped for.

We no longer look across the table and remember the days before rings.

We sigh as we enter the building, and can’t recall how we danced when we were offered the job.

We complain about taking out the trash, and forget the months in bed after back surgery.

We complain about another party, and forget the year living alone that Christmas.

Familiarity creates temporary blindness, but the good news is it’s temporary. All we need do is close the eyes of our hearts and open them again. Suddenly we will see what has been before us all along.

One might say it’s a modern day incarnation!