Advent begins in darkness —
the earliest sunsets, the quiet earth, the inward turn.

Inside us, too, Advent begins in the messy, the untended, the parts we usually rush past.

But this year, instead of trying to fix the dark side of ourselves or fight it…

What if we could turn toward it — gently, warmly, with a hint of cheerfulness.

• Darkness is simply the unorganized, untended, unloved parts of life — not failures.

• When we greet our darkness with warmth instead of fear, it becomes a doorway to joy.

This is the heart of Week One of Advent.