Day 19: Because the weary world rejoices

It's time I offered a little bit of seriousness to this whole bloggy-cookie thing. Don't worry too much-- I'll be back to my quirky self in the very near future.

I have been pondering how to write this post for a while. Yes, a different cookie everyday is a countdown to Christmas day, but the countdown itself is something more. To me, the season of Advent (or Christmas) is one of reflection and hope. It's not all about giving or receiving or being thankful or spending time with family. Yes, those are wonderful things that come along with this season. But at its heart, Advent encourages me to quiet my soul and reflect on the year. Where I have been, where I long to be and ultimately, it encourages me to find hope.

Often times, like this year, I look back and yearn for something more. Something more stable, something more confident, something more clear. A clear path for my family/career decisions. A continued, stable marriage. A sense of self-confidence that will see me through the thick of it.

It is in the quiet of the season (which nowadays is incredibly hard to find) that I am able to evaluate these things. And it is in the joy of the season (which is hard not to find) that I am able to find hope. Hope for salvation, hope for clarity, hope for confidence, hope for stability.

A promise was delivered, which is what I choose to celebrate on Christmas Day. A promise that allows me to rejoice in my hope.

Today, I was privileged enough to hear an phenomenal choir sing my favorite Christmas tune, O Holy Night. There are a couple of lines from this piece that I will share and hope they further explain what I am trying to convey in my humble little words above:

The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend

Amen.

Ok. Who wants cookies? Here are today's batch: Chocolate Peppermint Swirls. I kind of made these up after looking at a few recipes for inspiration. They are a sugar cookie base with melted chocolate and vanilla added to one side and chopped up mint chips and peppermint extract added to the other. I rolled the two doughs out and then rolled them up like cinnamon rolls. That last sentence had a lot of rolls in it. Anyway. Cut them into slices, bake and voila.