Here’s a little reflection I wrote on the weariness I feel this year. Songs have a way of weaving themselves into our consciousness, don’t they? At the end I have a Gaudete quote from my book, Baby and Beyond. Happy Advent!
Weary.
That’s the word that has come to mind every day for the past few weeks. Especially last week when the youngest crawled into our bed in a fit of coughing. Figures. After spending each day of Thanksgiving week with a different family, I knew it was bound to happen. We all trudged through the cold, taking turns in bed.
I just need to not be needed for a few hours (or a few days). To collect myself, to think. My Friday holy hour is over too fast and I long for another hour, but there are other duties that God has called me to.
The weary world rejoices.
This phrase also comes to mind every day. The dark and the cold have zapped what little energy I had. It feels like rejoicing takes energy. The kids start bickering and we are all adjusting to more indoor-time together. Except when I shuffle one or two kids to the next thing. Then, back in the car I go.
I’m not the only weary one. All of humanity has felt the weariness and drudgery of life. So why would we rejoice?
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.
Oh yes, we are finishing out our Jubilee Year of Hope. It’s a great time to remind myself of why we are rejoicing – Christ has redeemed all things. We are no longer slaves to our weariness if we let Christ in.
The light shines brighter in darkness. I see the signs of rejoicing – the son that was healed, the marriage that is stronger, the prayers that have been answered. The thrill of hope means there is much to look forward to because Christ can make it good.
The errands, the bills, the squabbles, the to-do list, the deadlines. I keep waiting for them to end, but the list just gets longer. I have the wrong goal. It’s not to check it all off, it’s to let Christ do it with me.
Just as Mary opened herself to the Holy Spirit and Christ dwelled within, I am offered a similar proposition: Let me enter, and I will change everything.
Christ, you do all things well. Enter into my weariness and transform it into rejoicing.
O Holy Night.
“After a particularly difficult week, I was at Sunday Mass, begging God for joy. It was Gaudete Sunday, during Advent, the pink-candle Sunday of joy, and I felt I had none. The words of the Eucharistic prayer seemed especially poignant that day: As we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I was disappointed when I didn’t magically feel more joyful after Mass, but I know that God usually doesn’t work that way. Instead, I found myself opening Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon, a book I had on the shelf since the beginning of my marriage but hadn’t read much of. . .
The common thread underlying my symptoms was that my vitamin and mineral deficiency led to abnormal hormone levels, which led to anxiety, fatigue, and constant stress.”
Baby and Beyond: Overcoming Those Post-Childbirth Woes pg. 39-40.
Maybe this is your sign to take care of your body this week, to give it what it needs to serve your family with joy.
Still need a Christmas gift for a new mother? Click here for my link to Baby and Beyond.
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