rita buettner commentary BlogCommentaryOpen Window Celebrating Epiphany and other late-Christmas fun (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerJanuary 7, 20234 min read It was Epiphany Sunday when we received the referral to adopt our older son, so this time of year always makes me smile. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are wonderful gifts, but that phone call brought the best news we had ever received. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Returning a Christmas Gift Rita BuettnerJanuary 5, 20232 min read Hi Santa, I’m sorry, but I’d like to send this back. Yes, I know we had asked for a Christmas break again this year, but this wasn’t quite what we had in mind. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Christmas treats, victories, and memories (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerDecember 29, 20224 min read We’ve reached the point in our Christmas break where I am not entirely sure what day of the week it is. What I do know is that we are still in the midst of our Christmas celebrations. BlogCommentaryOpen Window A Christmas Eve Miracle Rita BuettnerDecember 27, 20223 min read On Christmas Eve morning, we woke up to find that our furnace had stopped working. BlogCommentaryOpen Window When the end of Advent is a scramble to the finish Rita BuettnerDecember 18, 20223 min read In these final days of Advent, I am way behind on my preparation for Christmas. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Finding our way through the darkness Rita BuettnerDecember 13, 20223 min read At this time of year, alarm clocks seem to go off during the middle of the night. But we have to get up and get the day started, even when it looks like midnight outside. So, I climb out of bed and make sure my high schooler is awake. I ask him what he wants […] BlogCommentaryOpen Window Journeying toward Christmas Rita BuettnerDecember 4, 20223 min read When we were waiting to adopt our older son, we had a long to-do list. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Ready or not, it’s Advent Rita BuettnerNovember 27, 20222 min read Maybe you didn’t even realize Advent had started. You feel like you’ve fallen behind. Advent will rush by, and Christmas will come, and you’ll never catch up. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Thanksgiving leftovers, Grandma’s gravy, and a road trip (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerNovember 26, 20224 min read ~1~ I had thought that this would be the first Thanksgiving we would spend with extended family since 2019. By Wednesday afternoon, however, I could see that that wasn’t going to happen, thanks to a few sicknesses running through the family. My mother told me she would be happy to share the food she had […] ChristmasCommentaryFeatureThe Domestic Church Pass the gravy Rita BuettnerNovember 21, 20223 min read May this season of gatherings offer us opportunities to open our arms and hearts to others – and to be ready to entertain angels along the way. Previous 1 … 22 23 24 … 100 Next