Advent week 1: prophecy and hope reflections

This week started out with much: friends and late nights, chaos and kids, late starts and a boiling temper.
...It seems to be ending with surprise and forgiveness, humility and grace, hope and a future, mounds of homework and a birthday date.
God really opened my eyes this week to the hope that I may have in Him.
- Meetings and retest taking that I dreaded, turning out okay
- More birthday love than was expected for a school day thursday; and a special wink from Jesus saying, "I notice you"
- God's providence again and again; reassurance that this is His joy
- Hope and trust for our little one after massaging at the at-risk pregnancy hospital that previous weeks had thrown me into panic
- Opening my heart to being more honest with God in prayer, asking for his cleansing, knowing that I am holy because of what HE has done and who HE is.

"...because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the path of peace." - Luke 1:78-79