Now that the holidays are over, a new year stretches out before us. In my faith tradition, the weeks prior to Christmas are a time set aside for preparing for what is to come. It’s a time of waiting and reflecting on the current state of affairs, both externally and internally, and most importantly, on the love that still needs to be born into the world. The days are the shortest, and nights the longest during this time of year, and indeed, the world has seemed like a very dark and cold place as of late.