Rise and shine
This morning I awoke to the realization that the radio on the alarm clock had already been on for 15 minutes. Somehow, though, the tuner had drifted and it wasn't fully tuned into a station. IOW, I slowly woke up to radio static -- not very relaxing static. There has got to be some kind of life metaphor in that -- perhaps even something about Advent, of which this is the first day.

When I got to the kitchen I discovered that the ants had returned from their two month vacation and were swarming over a few crumbs left on the cook-top. Stay alert. You never know when they'll return.

From today's Gospel reading: "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when they will happen, stay alert and keep watch.

"The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return--at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return!" Mark 13:32-37 (NLT)