Some Advent Thoughts as we Await Christmas

(This was sent to me by a parishioner at Francis de Sales. I now share it with you)

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I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen before they had a name for it. A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.   I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.  It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.  But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.  Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.. So... While we have it..... it's best we love it.... And care for it... And fix it when it's broken......... And heal it when it's sick.  This is true. For marriage....... And old cars..... And children with bad report cards..... And dogs with bad hips.... And aging parents...... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.  There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ And so, we keep them close!  I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper', so I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way... Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life. Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there. Keep them close!  When you die, 10 things GOD won't ask you:  1..... God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation..  2..... God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.  3..... God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.  4..... God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.  5..... God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.  6..... God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.  7..... God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.  8..... God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character. 9..... God won't ask why it took you so long to find Him and ask Him into your house, He'll lovingly take you to heaven and not to the gates of Hell. 10..... God won't have to ask how many people you forwarded this to, He already knows your decision.