Have you ever wondered what to do about the 12 days of Christmas?

We have.

Last week, we were blessed with a stomach flu, fever and all. So rather than doing what we thought we ought to do — cleaning the house, getting the lights out, putting up the Christmas decorations, cleaning the basement, writing Christmas cards, getting in the official Christmas Spirit, and yes, buying this new shelf on sale  — we instead spent time in bed, taking turns caring for each other.

This unexpected time of quiet and reflection reminded us of the many who arrive at Christmas with a deep longing for wholeness and healing and hope.

To those who share this longing we want to invite you to a quiet, new venture:  12 Days of Christmas.  We will walk from Christmas Day, towards the threshold when the old year fades and the new begins, and on to the dawning light of Epiphany.  If you long for some quiet, we invite you to be part of this journey. We will walk with Mary, Meister Eckhart, Hildegard, Wenceslaus, Rumi, Bonhoeffer, Kierkegaard, Jung and other wise women and men, and see what they can offer to quiet our hearts and to lighten our sorrows.

How to join?You can find our daily reflections online. Our Christmas door opens on Christmas eve. For your convenience you can also subscribe to the 12 Days of Christmas retreat entering the image to the left and leaving your email by the door. We will  deliver each day's reflection every morning to your inbox. Then you only need to find those precious 15 minutes of your day to be alone, in the chamber of your heart, where we are each alone with God.

Surely it does not matter if you miss a day or two. Come back to it whenever you can. Or turn the 12 days into 24 days or 12 weeks or what ever time schedule works for you.  Feel free to forward the readings and to comment on them or to send us email.We always love to hear from you, and are looking forward to journey with you this season into a New Year.

Peace to you in this precious time,  Almut and Chuck

PS: In late Fall, we had the astonishing experience of canoeing on Potato Lake, near Park Rapids.  It was early morning after a freezing, wind-blown night.  It was the threshold of winter and a mystical time.  We have used some of the pictures from that morning for this upcoming online retreat.