As I watch the leaves fall like rain

Naturally, my thoughts go to the changing

Of the seasons, and the beginning of Advent

Not that I’m ready to think about Christmas

More like, the preparation of the birth of Jesus

I’m waiting on my friend and her hub, Wes, to come for a visit. We just finished watching our church service, and we have been cleaning the house and putting away the groceries. I know soon, I will have to go through Dad’s things and get them ready to donate, sell, or keep. Not quite ready for that either. Today, I’m going to visit, rest, and reflect on missing Dad and what this week will bring. I am just taking it one day at a time.

I am thinking of joining the grief support group at my church. I need to talk it out with people who understand. All my friends and family are getting ready for the busy month and have other things on their mind. I don’t even want to decorate, yet I know I will at some point. This year, I’m not focusing on gift giving as much as helping others. I want to donate Dad’s clothes and medical supplies to those who need them. I want to create some kind of memory box for a few of his things, and pictures and stuff.

Advent means waiting and preparing for the coming of our savior, but I also think it applies to our situation of waiting for what comes next in the process of memorializing my dad, and preparing to take his ashes to their final resting place, and deciding how to carry on when all that is over. I know he wants me to live my life and continue with my writing and my volunteer work. I will when I get ready, but for now, I just have to get through each day.