The invitation of winter.

December in Trumau has been a quiet, dark month, the sun rising late and setting earlier; this shortening of the days providing an expectant atmosphere, hinting at an unfulfilled moment in time. For us who remain on campus for the winter break, we experience an extra dose of quiet, as the majority of the students have returned home for the holidays, and the campus is mostly void of typical ITI movement: intellectual sparring, laughter, song, dance, and communal prayer and feasts.  Advent ushered in this December month full of anticipation of the joys and graces of Christmas, and we marked the Sundays with light and prayer to keep in mind that true Light's Presence is imminent. 

 O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumine sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Dawn in the East, splendor of the everlasting Light and Sun of Justice: Come and give light to those sitting in darkness, in the shadow of death.

~ 3rd 'O Antiphon' of Advent

December is shrouded in a hushed expectancy, a darkening and stillness of the earth, reminding us to keep watch.  To be silent and listen.   In winter, nature itself sets the pace.  Plant growth halts, leafless trees stand still against the grey sky, animals hibernate, water freezes over; everything pauses as if to remove all distraction from something small that might go unnoticed: "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him," (Habakkuk 2:20).  The darkness of the winter days encourages a quieting of spirit and activity, and invites us to turn inward and to reflect.  To ponder the spiritual realities so prevalent in this time, and to search and prepare our hearts.  We recall the contents of another darkness; the Mystery contained in the virgin's womb.  One must be still and attentive to hear the humble stirring of the King of kings, made manifest in tiny human form.  He entered the world ever so quietly, this Babe in the manger, and gentler still, knocks at the doors of our hearts.  Are we listening?  Are our lives ordered to a quiet expectation of His sound?  Are we opening our souls to His invitation?  

A few days after Christmas, Trumau was covered with a few inches of snow, to the delight of the children still here on campus.  Snow is the pinnacle of winter's transforming effects - it seals off the ground, purifies the dirt, cloaks the branches, and refreshes the air with the crisp, pure scent of frozen water.  One is unconsciously compelled to be silent and listen, in an attempt to hear the falling snowflakes.  We revel in the renewal of the earth's appearance, covered in this sparkling whiteness.

Silent, still, pure - with the entirety of its form, winter invites us to retreat from noise and unnecessary activity in our lives, to empty our minds of needless distractions, and to purify our hearts.  Without stillness, we may easily miss the most significant moment in time; the arrival of our Savior, and the ears of our minds and hearts may be too obstructed to hear the gentle stirrings of His voice. 

"Today it is very quiet. Are you listening? If you are listening, you can hear the faint sound of tinkling bells. He who is pure of heart and childlike shall hear the bells of the donkey ringing in his life."

Catherine Doherty, Donkey Bells

December days.

Our December started off returning from Salzburg, and still trying to recover from our cold, which Andrew never got, thankfully. We mostly stayed indoors and away from social activities until we were completely better. Advent seemed to fly by, but I tried to intentionally read and mediate upon Scripture, pray more, and visit the Blessed Sacrament. These things did help this busy mama's brain to slow down and gain some interior peace for the season. :) Pope Francis asked that we try to be silent and make space for the beauty of God - this simple thought kept me grounded.

"Justice shall walk before him and prepare the way of his steps." Psalm 85:14

 On the morning of December 6, Michael was excited to see that St. Nicholas found him to be a good boy.

And then it was final exam time on Dec. 12...and managing studying and our different exam times while still trying to be good, attentive parents to our boys. Auntie Elizabeth sacrificed a weekend to come spend some time with them.

 Such a good auntie.

And sometimes they watched some little number/color/alphabet videos on YouTube.

Michael sat on the sofa next to me while I was studying a few times, and put his hand in mine. So precious.

And on Dec. 18, exams were successfully over and we celebrated by having homemade hot chocolate and watching the Little Drummer Boy with Michael.

On the Sunday before Christmas, we took the train to Sopron, Hungary (50 min. away) at the invitation of one of the Dominican fathers who teaches here. It was nice for the boys to visit with the brothers and eat a meal with them. I didn't take pictures of that, sadly. Next time!

Such a big boy, sitting in his own train seat now and reading his books.

First sample of Hungry; the food and buildings still a little influenced by Austria, but distinctly Hungarian which we appreciated - Budapest, we're coming for you next!



We went to Mass at the Dominican church, then lunched with the brothers afterward.

 We were thrilled to meet one of our second cousins on Dad's side - Sr. Della Marie!! She was visiting her order in Gaming, so came and had dinner before her flight back to the US. Here she is showing Elizabeth some of the family tree.

Michael loves "sisters" and took right to one of Sr. Della's companions.

We had such a wonderful time learning about each other families and lives! 

One evening, Elizabeth babysat the boys so Andrew and I could go into Vienna to look at the Christmas lights. We enjoyed strolling around, eating dinner out, and drinking some mulled wine. 

 Belvedere Palace and Christmas market.

The Rathaus or city hall.

One of Vienna's main thoroughfares.

One of the ladies I work for in Trumau gifted us with a little Christmas tree. Michael wanted to help Papa carry it home.

Such cheese.

 What a cute little Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree). Dominic was curious about this new vegetation in our house.

We are waiting for you, Lord Jesus!

Mostly pictures.

The last 2 weeks have comprised of (mostly) review and studying by Andrew for finals which are this week - he has his last 2 today! The boys and I have been keeping warm inside as the temperature has been floating around the mid 30's. It is very pleasant and bearable when the sun is out and the air is still, but every few days we will get a windy day, which puts quite the chilly bite into an outdoor excursion. We have been drinking lots of tea and eating soup and have spent some time socializing indoors with some other ITI'ers. Here is our good friend, Annemarie from China who joins us often for tea.

 Last Saturday, the ladies hosted a baby shower for myself and Justina, a first-time mother from Lithuania. There was a lovely spread of coffee, tea, and finger foods. We prayed a Rosary together which was such a beautiful uniting factor for us mothers. The attendees were very generous with small donations and little gifts. I greatly enjoyed my time, and am appreciating more and more, the lovely ladies who are residing at the ITI at the same time as me!

 Jonah, one of the babies of honor.

Our baby of honor slept the whole time, but that did not deter little admirers from watching him and gently poking at him.

Michael and I sneak out occasionally for a little walk...he especially enjoys meeting up with one of his friends, like Kate!

As Andrew's schedule has been more flexible, it has been nice to leave Dominic at home and take Michael out for some one-on-one time - either to the park, a quick grocery store trip or to Mass. I'm also really enjoying being able to carry Michael again! Here we are heading off to daily Mass.

 Hard to believe this little guy is a month already!

 Michael is eager to play with his little brother...we attempt to be quick enough to intervene when necessary. :)

It has been a busy time of transition to a newborn and studies for Andrew, but I am trying to remember to keep the waiting period and preparatory attitude of Advent present in my heart. It has been wonderful to have a newborn present in our home to help us remember the tiny, humble state in which Christ entered the world and to remember that physical, tangible side of humanity joined to the Divine.

 

“At Christmas Christ comes like a little child, so small, so helpless, so much in need of all that love can give. Are we ready to receive Him: If Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to make a home for Jesus, would they choose our house and all that it holds and is filled with?”
—Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

 

Michael is still too young to understand the concept, but we do talk about Jesus' birth with him. I found this free nativity printable online, colored them, and taped them to toilet paper rolls. Desperate times call for desperate measures, ha! Hey, it's cute, functional, and serves the purpose of telling the birth story of Christ. Michael enjoys "walking" the figures around.



We pray that each of you are having a blessed Advent!

 

"Being awake for God and for other people—that is the kind of 'waking' that Advent has in mind, the wakefulness that discovers the light and brightens the world."

—Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)