Ascension : News From The Grotto - Thought For The Week
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 29.11.2007 (Article Archived on 13.12.2007)

This past week, the Americans on the island celebrated Thanksgiving with a wonderful meal at the mess. I am sure that everyone who attended, from not only the base, but our many guests will join me in thanking the mess staff for putting so much effort into producing a meal to remember.

                For those of us on Ascension, being here for Thanksgiving means being away from our loved ones.  So we do the next best thing, which is to invite our family of friends to celebrate this holiday with us.  We were lucky enough to have a wonderful group of friends join us, and for that we are grateful.  We hope that everyone enjoyed themselves.

                This is the last week before the start of Advent.  Even here on Ascension we know that Christmas is not that far away.  I have already received my first Christmas card!  Especially with the distances involved in getting gifts to give our loved ones, we tend to get an early start.  The Christmas parties are being planned, and our social calendars are filling up. 

                With Christmas on its way, family becomes foremost in our mind.  For some, it’s the joy of looking forward to seeing their loved ones and spending the holidays with them.  For many of us, it is going to be another holiday spent apart from those we love, our children, parents, other relatives and friends.  But again, in their absence, we will fill the void with the friends we have made here on Ascension.

                Also, during this season where we look forward to the birth of our saviour, it is time to take stock of our own lives, and the direction we are going.  Are we doing all we can for the people we love?  Are we doing all we can for the world around us?  Are we doing enough for ourselves?  As much as we have duties and responsibilities to others, we have a duty and a responsibility to be good to ourselves.  This does not mean we have to be selfish, just that we take time for ourselves once in a while.

                Especially in this busy time, we tend to forget ourselves.  I remember the times when my children were young, and involved in so many things.  I worked full time at a demanding job, and it seemed like I was busy every minute of every day.  There never seemed to be any time for me.  I certainly don’t regret the amount of time I spent caring for others, but looking back I realize that I might have been healthier emotionally if I had taken some time for me.

The Advent season is a time of joy, and also a time of looking back at our lives.  As well as just taking a little time for ourselves, the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to be happy with who we are and where we are in our lives.  All of us have sadness in our pasts, I’m sure, but what we do to handle that sadness is what is important.  Do we let it overshadow the joy that is in every day?  Do we keep our past from letting us live our present to its fullest?  Do we allow it to keep us from looking forward to the future with the joyous expectation it deserves?  As the saying goes, we have only one time to go around.  Let us do it with the joy that the Lord expects us to have with the life he gave us.  He expects us to use our faith to do good for others, but also to do good for ourselves.  Have faith that God wants the best for us, and that He wants us to enjoy our time on this earth.  Everyone will suffer sadness, but how we move on from it, and find the happiness that awaits us, is the key.   With faith, it is possible to find this joy.

Worry looks around

Sorry looks back

Faith looks up

 So, in this Advent season, let us look up, give our troubles over to God, and free our hearts and minds to find the joy that this Advent season promises.