Advent Calendar – Dec 24th: Final Comment

More than three weeks have passed since I started this Advent Calendar blog, faithfully delivering a post each day to follow through on my promise.

It has been a very interesting experience, and I confess that I had not considered all the challenges an Advent Calendar blog could present when I came up with the idea at the end of November. Many of you had commented about my silence during our last trip and so I thought it would be a good way to tell you about our vacation, a little bit at a time. I soon discovered that once my vacation stories were exhausted, I needed to continue coming up with relevant new content, to deliver on my commitment of a story a day, until December 24th.

I want to extend my profound gratitude to you, for showing interest in this blog, and thank those of you who also took the time to respond with kind, supportive comments. Your feedback means a lot to me, especially on all those days when I wondered why anyone would want to continue reading my random thoughts and stream of consciousness.

At first, I viewed sharing my personal stories as my gift to you. In fact, what I realised, as I attracted new followers over the last month and learned that so many of you were reading the blog, was that you all were giving me an enormous gift.

You allowed me to occupy space and time in your busy schedules. You chose to give me the microphone for a few minutes, uninterupted basically, to prattle on about what ever topic I chose. I humbly recognize the generosity you have shown me, and thank you for having helped me achieve this milestone together.

It has truly been a gift that you have given me, because as I recounted some of the moments and activities in 2019, I was afforded the opportunity to explore the significance of those events and it brought me greater insight into my life, my interaction with my environment and the people around me.

It occurs to me on this last day of my calendar, that the four weeks of Advent are about preparing our hearts and our mind in the weeks leading up to Christmas to receive the greatest gift of all – eternal love.

Life is about connecting the dots. Getting through life is complicated, and the destination is rarely obvious or defined. The journey itself is mysterious, filled with random events and meetings, and their meaning is not always evident. Its often easier to understand the relevance of our experiences as a whole, when we take a moment to reflect back and gain the ability to see the connection between what we thought were a series of unrelated occurrences.

I have tried not to make my posts be too self-centred but inevitably, because it begins with my thoughts and the topic of my choice, it ends up being mostly about me. None of this was ever about getting something off my chest, or opening up parts of me that are usually closed off. Those who know me, know that I am an open book, and enjoy sharing my thoughts and having engaged conversations. Nevertheless, I am hopeful you got something out of my monologues, whether its a few minutes of entertainment, or a moment of inspiration for the exploration of your own thoughts and ideas.

So, there you are. You are definetely up to date on what has happened in my life this year. Names of friends and family have been withheld to protect the innocent of course.

The only thing left for me to say at the close of this 2019 Advent Calendar Blog, is to wish you a very happy Christmas time with your family and friends, and to pass along my best wishes for 2020.