I need this as much as you do.

You are not alone if you've felt more overwhelmed and anxious over the past month. A lot contributes to those feelings, and they are a reasonable response to what is happening in the world.

I knew I was in a bad place when I reacted to a polarizing comment someone I knew had posted on Instagram. I wrote her a lengthy personal response and alternative viewpoint. I then got engaged in a somewhat helpful conversation, but overall just sucked up a lot of my time and energy. I decided to step back a little from social media.

It is a lot right now. I don't need to list all of the challenges that we are facing globally and closer to home. We are all feeling the strain. I've been thinking, "What can I do to help support myself and you amid some of this heaviness?"

I received a video this week that I decided to share with you. If you've been around here very long, you know one of the people I consider worth your time is Parker Palmer. This short video clip is about something he calls The Tragic Gap. Please take a few minutes and listen to it.

It occurred to me that the thing I have been working on is related to this idea of The Tragic Gap. It's so easy to fall into corrosive cynicism or irrelevant idealism. It's hard to live in the gap between the hard realities of life and the things we know are possible.

So, without further ado, let me introduce the thing I've been working on! 

I have created a four-week course called The Advent of Christmas. If you aren't familiar with Advent or haven't considered this tradition for a long time, you will find it provides a focus to support you during these difficult times.

I love Christmas, AND I also recognize that it has become so commercialized that it is hard not to be cynical this time of year. I was in the grocery store this week, and there was an entire aisle! - of Advent calendars. And those are just the chocolate ones. You can get toys, cosmetics, candles, puzzles, and anything else imaginable in an Advent calendar.

The truth is those calendars will NOT help you create a calm and more meaningful holiday season. So, I've created something to help us stand in the Gap during the holidays.

The Advent of Christmas runs for four weeks. It kicks off with a Zoom call where I will share my thoughts about how you can create more calm and meaning in your life.

Each Saturday for the four weeks of Advent, you will receive an email that will focus on one of the virtues of Advent: hope, love, joy and peace. My intention is to bring us together to spread these things in our own lives, our families and in our communities.

You can invest as much time as you want. There will be something for everyone - quotes, poems, rituals, activities, conversation starters and more. It will all be in a weekly email sent each Saturday in December.

It has been a while since I have felt so much energy around something. We can make an impact on our own lives and the people around us. I can't wait to hear your stories, and I hope you will share them with me.

You could also gift The Advent of Christmas to someone who could use a lift.

If you are interested in joining this four-week experience and don't have the funds right now, please reply to this email and let me know. Click here, and I'll sign you up. Financial hardships can be stressful and even more at this time of year. Let me give YOU the gift of joy, peace, hope and love.