Wow, it has been quite a year already...

Hundreds of cards, trips back and forth to Serbia and the States, settling into the new flat and now it is time to get ready for Christmas!  I love this time of year!

There's lots I could share on my creations, like our Christmas card that will be going out shortly thanks to our daughter Erin.

Well that is card# 2 with the addition of "Peace on Earth" in the upper right hand corner. I don't know if I have a photo of the original card!  Oh well, you will see it when it arrives in your mailboxes.

But more importantly, today is the beginning of Advent...preparation for His coming birth. Here's a piece from the newsletter I receive...

The Magi: generous on purpose

“We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him” Matthew 2:2 We start our Advent journey with the Magi because they are our guides. They saw the end at the beginning. For centuries before Jesus’ birth, the Magi studied the skies - looking for a sign that he was coming. They studied the prophecies; they passed down ancient wisdom from one generation to the next; they watched and waited. Long before the manger in Bethlehem, these scholars searched for a single star that would lead them to the one who had been born King of the Jews. A voyage was inevitable. But it wasn't going to be an effortless journey.   What might it mean for you to give up your home and your livelihood, and pursue God for months – maybe even years – across whole nations? With drive, purpose and conviction the Magi left their world behind and journeyed generously. They gave their time and they prepared thoughtful and precious gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. We don’t know how long the journey took. But what we do know – what we can be certain of – is that the Magi journeyed with purpose. By carefully studying a rich history of knowledge, they were able to plot their future journey with purpose and passion. And what was their end-point? Worship. We share with them the same purpose as we begin the season of Advent.