As we head into Advent

Let me bring you up-to-date, dear friend and reader, because stuff has been happening and not all of it is icky.

In fact, most of it is down right joyous!

First of all, CAL won Big Game against Stanford again this year and the Axe stays in Berkeley.

Second of all, the Niners won another game and are almost at a .500 season!

Best of all? Brother and Nephew are talking again after a fabulous Thanksgiving that was peaceful and hardly tense at all...ok, a little but I think that was me. I have that nagging tendency to pray like this: Thy will, not mine, be done O Lord..but I have some suggestions.

Anyway, while Nephew is not yet ready to go through the Rite of Acceptance and Welcome, he is continuing his instructions in RCIA and for that I am grateful.

I am back on the old Weight Watchers and will go into Advent determined to NOT put on 10 pounds...because my target date for quiting smoking is January 4, 2010..the date Nephew leaves for the Army.

I have had a pretty good couple of days - a little sore but that's to be expected with the weather weirdness we have had in the Central Valley. Rain, then hot, then some wind, then more fog...my joints are singing the Hallelujah Chorus and doing it off key.

It is interesting to me, as we head into the Advent Season, to think about the Coming of Christ. We prepare, with the early season readings at Mass, by focusing on the important coming - the one that's on its way, and I do not mean like the movie 2012 (John Cusack is fabulous in it, of course, but who am I to judge? I think the guy is great doing cartwheels in his pajamas, not that I have ever seen that but hell I'd buy a ticket and stand in line to do so). We are asked by Holy Mother Church to look upward and reflect on the Day of Judgement, urging us to meet Jesus by 'standing erect' because our salvation is at hand. I like that - we are to look up and stand up and be people of dignity because Our Lord and Savior, Creator and Father, Lord and Giver of Life is on His way...don't cower and wait to be 'left behind'..stand up and shout for joy...He is COMING!!!! YIPPEEE!!!

So, this season is not just about The Incarnation and Birth of Jesus (as wonderful as that was and continues to be). It is about being mature Catholics and knowing that we not only celebrate the historical reality that was God taking on a Human Nature for our sake, we also celebrate our Faith and dependence upon His return.

I'll bet it will be even better than John Cusack in pajamas.