I have worn glasses for almost my entire life. One of my favorite activities during these weeks leading up to Christmas is to walk around while not wearing my glasses - because without them, everything is blurry. And there’s nothing better than the magical vision of Christmas lights blurred by your astigmatism! The indecipherable outlines of rooftops and shrubbery. Everything is a blur of bright, shining Christmas lights. I adopted a favorite route that takes me down Federal Street. I turn left onto School Street. When I get to Veteran’s Plaza, I turn towards our church, and there it is, the town Christmas tree! Blurred and beautiful. 

This year, I now look in blurred wonder and have the added experience of seeing halos around everything that is brightly lit! Not in the angelic sense, but in the way of knowing that my eyesight has changed. In a couple weeks, I will go for a cataract consult. As my appointment date closes in, I wonder if I should be outside at night and stay longer without my glasses on? Will corrected lenses steal my joy at Christmastime? 

I doubt it. My joy dwells within, and my soul holds deeply the impact of the season’s beauty. I don’t need astigmatism nor the halo effect of cataracts to create the child-like wonder of my walking around town taking in the lighted colors around me. And, if like me, you remember this from your childhood . . . All you really need to do, to get that blurry effect, is squint your eyes!

Prayer:  Holy One, Advent waits for us to find those places within where joy and gladness reside. We move into these intervals of time where heart and soul align, and the promised light shines all around us.