The Knot in the Cord

November 30, 2020

When I cross a threshold, especially when entering an unfamiliar place, I have habit of pausing. The pause may be too short to be perceptible to anyone else, but it is there. In that fraction of a second (or longer) I can take a breath and get ready to face whatever it is that waits on the other side.

The start of Advent separates the old church year from the new. As weird and unwelcome as much of this past year has been, in some ways it has simply highlighted what is always true: we never really know what waits for us across the threshold.

Of all the things I have learned telling stories to children over the years, the one that stays with me most is this little knot in the gold cord. We place the knot at the spot on the circle where Advent starts. This particular moment in the circle of the year—the threshold between old and new—is a place to pause, to take a breath, to get ready.

The wisdom of the circle tells us that no matter what waits for us, no matter what we are waiting for, every beginning is an ending, but every ending is also a new beginning.

A blessed Advent to you all.