Advent

As some of you know I attend Church every Sunday.

Church is very important for me, and the boys, for lots of reasons as well as finding, in-depth, about Christianity.

I have decided then that for the next few weeks, especially on a Sunday, I will dedicate a post specifically for Church, Christianity and it's relation to Christmas. As for me I believe we wouldn't be celebrating Christmas without a fundamental understanding, even if it has been lost a little over time due to commercialism, of the truth behind Christmas.

So my first post is about Advent.

For those who don't know Advent actually starts today; Not tomorrow, although we are so use to it starting on the 1st of December because of the lots of commercial calendars that are available.

Advent starts on the Sunday which signifies four weeks until Christmas. (Four weeks? Scary that it is creeping up so quickly)

Every Sunday in Churches around the world a candle will be lit for the next four weeks, with the final, fifth, candle being lit on or close to Christmas day. (Usually to represent the light of the world being born)

What I only learnt today though is Advent actually translates from the original Latin in to "Coming". The coming of Jesus and subsequently the coming of the day of his birth as well as the holidays.

So it's official today is the day when the Coca-Cola advert is actually right and "The holidays are coming"

The boys and I do different things over Advent. We all have one Chocolate Calendar each, this year I have also purchased a toy Calendar (I didn't know they existed until this week!) In each type of Calendar we open a door counting down each day and get a treat inside (with the toy one we chose Playmobil where we get a character or a piece of scenery to create an over scene over Christmas.)

We will also have an Advent candle that we light everyday and burn down the wax for the following day. This for us is our Christian tradition to help us remember that Christmas is centralised around Jesus.



So what are you doing to count down to Christmas and 'celebrate' Advent? Do you have any traditions?

Fish and Chips Friday

Today's post from my post a day is based on my weekly activity on a Friday.

My mum and I had an amazing relationship,  we might not always have agreed, you could definitely call me a mummies boy!

When she passed away a couple of years ago I was truly heartbroken. But I had the memories and the love to keep me going. Sadly, this was not the case for my brother. Their relationship was hard and non communicative.  There was love there but it was one from a strained relationship this was mainly considered to the fact that they just were not a like. Mum and I had things in common so subsequently had a stronger relationship.

Before passed though my dad was ill, and had been for a couple of years,  because of this mum had been discussing his funeral and what we would do. The shock then of mum passing rocked my world.

Like my brother and my mum, my relationship with dad, was strained.  We are just different people, with different interests. The idea that he could have died and I was holding regret, like my brother, seriously upset and worried me.

From that point I decided to improve our relationship. I moved in shortly after mums funeral, for many reasons, importantly with the idea to build upon what we have.

The last few years have been strained but we are still working towards it. We have two manly date nights. Our first is a film night where we take it in turns to choose a film and watch it together.  Our second, as the blog title displays, is a takeaway night on a Friday. Down to dads old fashioned views it ends most weeks to be Fish and Chips. I don't mind the frequency of it, as it is one night a week that him and I actually sit down together, alone without kids, and eat.

This is working brilliantly because films and food is something that unites a lot of people, even those, like my father and I,  have very little in common.

I try my hardest to build a relationship with out it being forced to change each others personality and subsequently has given us a chance to grow together and build memories. It has also given me chance to learn interesting facts about my dad, like the fact that he use to be a ten pin bowling champion who once played for the GB team.

Something as little as Fish and Chips has built upon who we are. I suggest that people, whatever their relationships are to take time to find common interests through social activities that please everybody. We have so many different fractured families that living in regret that its time to push towards a better future.

It's time to

Remembrance Day

Yesterday we saw and remembered the 100 years since the start of World War 1.

The boys and I visited our regular church on Sunday to take part in the remembrance. Three different bits took place that I wanted to cover briefly on here.

The first part was that we remembered not only as a church but also as a community, this was a lovely experience and although we usually have the occasional community group joining us we had a lot of them together. We remembered with Our Local Primary School, Who brought their choir to sing three songs or which showed a range of remembrance from a old song (White Cliffs of Dover), a tribal song to show our allies within the war) and A mournful short piece for all service men and women who have died since. We had a coach full of people from the local age concern centre, who found the service thoughtful. We were joined by our local councilman who laid a reef on our behalf as well as the relevant bible reading. We were joined by our local Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides who not only brought and lowered their flags in tribute but the guides also read home a letter from a solider within the war, prompting a very thought provoking message about what life on the front line was like. Finally, We were also joined by the local WI, whose time and patience were fully appreciated after the service, which I will explain about later on in the post.

The service itself, led by, our Curate there, Sue was short but it definitely left considering faith, our own relationship with God, as well as what the service men would have felt.

It was based on a small book, the Gospel of John that was passed out to all soldiers before they crossed the channel and subsequently one soldiers letter to the Gospel book producers (Which is now place at the back of the republished copy) the letter reads:

“When your small Testaments were distributed on the Common at Southampton, I, among others, accepted one in a more derisive than a complimentary manner.” So begins one of the

any letters from soldiers that SGM received during the First World War. “I little dreamed

that I should use it and find in it great consolation in lonely hours” it goes on. “I have learned to realise the great personality of the Saviour. When at night I have been on duty alone with Him by my side, and the Germans but thirty yards away, I realised that I needed more than my own courage to stand the strain. When the shells of the enemy have burst periodically at my feet I have marvelled at the fact of still being alive. Just a few lines to let you know that I have filled in the decision form at the end of the Gospel of John that was given to me at the station I accept Christ as my saviour. I wish you would pray for me in the hour of trial.”

The reading of this just made you realise that the search for something to give you hope in that time brought comfort to many in their hour of need.

The third part of the service was actually after it. We booked the hall opposite to the church where we held a WWI themed bring and share gathering. Where it was decorated and had themed music on in the background. The WI were amazing, as were other members of the community, to organise food and drinks here. The boys and I contributed as well with myself making a traditional themed Pork and Cider Terrine served with toast and William making a WW1 recipe for a pumpkin cake, both of which went down well.

Overalls it was a fitting remembrance service that brought our community of Sittingboure and Bobbing together, with a thoughtful message and reminder of what is won and lost in all wars. But ultimately it showed that we as a community gathered to for one thing that we not forget the past and sacrifcies made that have brought us here today.

As for least we forget the fallen soilders of yesterday, there are pople who have faught and died for us without even knowing who we are and we always need to remember and try our best to do anything so what they did is not in vain. Lest we forget.

Below I have also uploaded a few photos of the day.