<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Mary MacMillan</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:maryemacmillan@gmail.com">maryemacmillan@gmail.com</a>></span><br>Date: Sun, Nov 30, 2025 at 12:28 PM<br>Subject: Fwd: Sunday Musings: Advent 1<br>To: Welcome to the Sunday Community News Bulletin and AnnouncmentEgroup. Please feel free to write messages. <<a href="mailto:sundaycommunity@lists.integralshift.ca">sundaycommunity@lists.integralshift.ca</a>><br></div><br><br><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Diana Butler Bass from The Cottage</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:dianabutlerbass@substack.com" target="_blank">dianabutlerbass@substack.com</a>></span><br>Date: Sun, Nov 30, 2025 at 3:34 AM<br>Subject: Sunday Musings: Advent 1<br>To: <<a href="mailto:maryemacmillan@gmail.com" target="_blank">maryemacmillan@gmail.com</a>><br></div><br><br><div style="font-kerning:auto"><img src="https://eotrx.substackcdn.com/open?token=eyJtIjoiPDIwMjUxMTI5MTY1MjA5LjMuMDk1NmZkNWU3YTA1ODAzNEBtZy1kMC5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20-IiwidSI6MTMzMTcxMDc3LCJyIjoibWFyeWVtYWNtaWxsYW5AZ21haWwuY29tIiwiZCI6Im1nLWQwLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbSIsInAiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwidCI6Im5ld3NsZXR0ZXIiLCJhIjoiZXZlcnlvbmUiLCJzIjo0NzQwMCwiYyI6InBvc3QiLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InRvcCIsImlhdCI6MTc2NDQ5MTY2NiwiZXhwIjoxNzY3MDgzNjY2LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImVvIn0.lLC8_x6V7YmNKJnacvU-4kl9BzxsA5q3Nvs8ZR8tJgI" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" style="height:1px;width:1px;border-width:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"><div style="display:none;font-size:1px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden">Wrinkly Time</div><div style="display:none;font-size:1px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden">͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ </div><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td width="550"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td width="550" align="left"><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin:0px auto"><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="right" style="height:20px"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:"SF Pro Text",-apple-system,system-ui,BlinkMacSystemFont,Inter,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-size:13px;color:unset;list-style:none;text-decoration:unset;margin:0px"><div style="list-style:none;color:unset;text-align:right;font-size:12px;line-height:16px;text-decoration:unset;margin:0px"><span style="list-style:none;color:unset;text-decoration:unset;margin:0px">Forwarded this email? <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9kaWFuYWJ1dGxlcmJhc3Muc3Vic3RhY2suY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91dG1fc291cmNlPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1lbWFpbC1zdWJzY3JpYmUmcj0yN2FiZ2wmbmV4dD1odHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmRpYW5hYnV0bGVyYmFzcy5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20lMkZwJTJGc3VuZGF5LW11c2luZ3MtYWR2ZW50LTEtZWMyIiwicCI6MTgwMjAzODAyLCJzIjo0NzQwMCwiZiI6dHJ1ZSwidSI6MTMzMTcxMDc3LCJpYXQiOjE3NjQ0OTE2NjUsImV4cCI6MjA4MDA2NzY2NSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTAiLCJzdWIiOiJsaW5rLXJlZGlyZWN0In0.LuLxgJ7C0CHa2blr7P2g-rEIutj2LP9Stq19Yb2XVUI?" style="list-style:none;color:unset;text-decoration-style:unset;text-decoration-color:unset;margin:0px;text-decoration-line:underline" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> for more</span></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table role="presentation" style="border-spacing:0px;padding:16px 0px 32px"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="text-align:center;padding:0px"><a href="https://substack.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.T6AK55vDp5zLVKcHsgK2v8kMSGceiZjmesuSkCmhlwc?" target="_blank"><img role="presentation" width="550" height="158" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QSZC!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6d5afc4a-71f8-4b75-b9ac-e286eb8a6471_3642x1046.png" style="vertical-align:middle;max-width:550px;display:block;margin:0px auto;height:auto;width:100%;border:none"></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="auto" style="padding:32px 0px 0px;font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><div role="region" aria-label="Post header" style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><h1 dir="auto" style="text-align:start;unicode-bidi:isolate;color:rgb(54,55,55);font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:0px;line-height:36px;font-size:32px"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=27abgl&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjE3NjcwODM2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.B5jfaf3fs91qH-ZvgxVv9NrN6xRhqwzoiCtmn4vsE0o" style="color:rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Sunday Musings: Advent 1</a></h1><h3 dir="auto" style="text-align:start;unicode-bidi:isolate;font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:normal;margin:12px 0px 0px;color:rgb(119,119,119);line-height:24px;font-size:18px">Wrinkly Time</h3><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:1em 0px;height:20px"><tbody><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><div style="list-style:none;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;text-decoration:unset;color:rgb(54,55,55);margin:0px;font-family:"SF Compact",-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:500;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.2px"><a style="list-style:none;color:rgb(54,55,55);margin:0px;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;font-family:"SF Compact",-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:500;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.2px;text-decoration:none" href="https://substack.com/@dianabutlerbass" target="_blank">Diana Butler Bass</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><div style="list-style:none;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;text-decoration:unset;color:rgb(119,119,119);margin:0px;font-family:"SF Compact",-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:500;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.2px">Nov 30</div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td align="right"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><a href="https://substack.com/@dianabutlerbass" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g1Bk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50dcc1ec-1605-4d8e-954f-bda55c31e962_1895x1610.jpeg" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:500000px;max-width:550px;border:none;vertical-align:middle;width:40px;height:40px;min-width:40px;min-height:40px;object-fit:cover;margin:0px;display:inline" width="40" height="40"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-top:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);min-width:100%"><tbody><tr height="16"><td height="16" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"> </td></tr><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="38" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&isFreemail=true&submitLike=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwicmVhY3Rpb24iOiLinaQiLCJpYXQiOjE3NjQ0OTE2NjUsImV4cCI6MTc2NzA4MzY2NSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ3NDAwIiwic3ViIjoicmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.ZH9vXk85qRzn7sngxt7huV56IHoeOZyudwJpEsOfDbk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-reaction&r=27abgl" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:1;padding:9px 0px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119);min-width:38px;box-sizing:border-box;width:38px" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PeVs!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FLucideHeart%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="8" style="min-width:8px"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="38" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&isFreemail=true&comments=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjE3NjcwODM2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.B5jfaf3fs91qH-ZvgxVv9NrN6xRhqwzoiCtmn4vsE0o&r=27abgl&utm_campaign=email-half-magic-comments&action=post-comment&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:1;padding:9px 0px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119);min-width:38px;box-sizing:border-box;width:38px" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x1tS!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FLucideComments%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="8" style="min-width:8px"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="38" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=27abgl&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjE3NjcwODM2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.B5jfaf3fs91qH-ZvgxVv9NrN6xRhqwzoiCtmn4vsE0o" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:1;padding:9px 0px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119);min-width:38px;box-sizing:border-box;width:38px" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_L14!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FLucideShare2%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="8" style="min-width:8px"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="38" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.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.YRh23RTVmJorr-mFCjJnP2ktfib3IqWyCWLXVHEMIRg?&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:1;padding:9px 0px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119);min-width:38px;box-sizing:border-box;width:38px" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5EGt!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FNoteForwardIcon%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td align="right"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/dianabutlerbass/p/sunday-musings-advent-1-ec2?utm_source=email&redirect=app-store&utm_campaign=email-read-in-app" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:12px;padding:9px 14px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119)" target="_blank"><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;max-width:0px;min-height:18px"></div><span style="vertical-align:middle;margin-right:4px">READ IN APP</span><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ET-_!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FLucideArrowUpRight%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="min-width:18px;min-height:18px;border:none;vertical-align:middle;margin-right:0px;margin-left:0px;max-width:18px" alt=""></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr height="16"><td height="16" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"> </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div dir="auto" style="padding:32px 0px 0px;font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><div dir="auto" style="text-align:initial;font-size:16px;line-height:26px;width:100%;word-break:break-word;margin-bottom:16px;font-family:"Roboto Slab",sans-serif;font-weight:400"><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;border-top:1px solid rgb(221,221,221);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(221,221,221);margin:0px auto 32px;text-align:center"><p style="color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;margin:32px 0px;text-align:center;font-weight:500;font-style:italic"><em><strong><span>If you aren’t already a paid subscriber, please consider upgrading. Your support keeps The Cottage going and is greatly appreciated. </span><br><span>Thank you.</span></strong></em></p><div style="margin:0px 0px 1em;direction:ltr;font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><div style="text-decoration:unset;list-style:none;font-size:16px;line-height:26px;text-align:center;border-radius:4px"><a href="https://substack.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.BbziqKgQ-gNY0Un-wxltjwUGMsVl7cryUiS2PwoDlro?&utm_medium=email&utm_source=subscribe-widget&utm_content=180203802" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;text-align:center;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;margin:0px auto;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);padding:12px 20px;height:auto;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(255,255,255)" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none">Upgrade to paid</span></a></div></div><p style="color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;margin:32px 0px;text-align:center;font-weight:500;font-style:italic">Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for information on the Cottage Advent series and additional Advent opportunities.</p></div><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em">TODAY IS THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT</h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><span>The first Sunday of Advent is also the first Sunday of a new Christian year. My publisher sent along this short clip from the </span><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/5cedb1d2-b3b7-41b7-80c8-0c20e2c9a09f?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">lovely audiobook</a><span> (they are very proud of how well the audio turned out!) of </span><em>A Beautiful Year </em><span>to begin our journey into a new year. </span></p><div role="region" aria-label="Video player" style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;margin-top:0.5em"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/ba79bfbd-1c9a-406a-aa50-10fd062c421a?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" style="display:block;width:100%;background-color:rgb(0,0,0);height:auto;border-radius:8px;padding-bottom:0px" target="_blank"><img width="550" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ce7q!,w_1100,h_1100,c_pad,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_144,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-video.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fvideo_upload%2Fpost%2F180203802%2Fbef87264-b3e5-42a8-93a2-4f494eb0bcb3%2Ftranscoded-00001.png" style="vertical-align:middle;display:block;max-width:100%;height:auto;margin:0px auto;width:100%;max-height:100%;background:black;border-radius:8px;border:none"></a></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">For the next several months, the calendar tracks through the life of Jesus. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">The wheel has turned, the cycle starts again. For the next year, we’ll mostly be focused on the Gospel of Matthew. The story it tells of Jesus is a very Jewish story — of family and tribe, of the Law, and of liberation. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">And the season of Advent opens us up to the mystery of time — to understand ourselves in the stories of the past, future, and present.</p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;margin:32px auto"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align:center"></td><td align="left" width="1456" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/3560940d-d0d0-40cb-93c6-af6108105127?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="padding:0px;width:auto;height:auto;border:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin:0px" target="_blank"><img alt="" width="550" height="484.64972527472526" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VZG2!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e12e6d2-ca70-46af-9889-c1663d255029_1816x1600.heic" style="vertical-align:middle;display:block;height:auto;margin:0px auto;border:none;width:auto;max-width:100%"></a></td><td style="text-align:center"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><span>Today’s reflection (below the picture) is an excerpt from the Advent section in </span><em><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/357ae7e4-0e42-462d-aa32-968b348e0497?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A Beautiful Year</a><span>. </span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">It was originally written as a Sunday musing in December 2022 and is based in this Sunday’s lectionary readings. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">All three of today’s scripture selections are included today. </p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em">Isaiah 2:2, 4-5</h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>In days to come</span><br><span>the mountain of the Lord’s house</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>shall be established as the highest of the mountains,</span><br><span>and shall be raised above the hills;</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em>all the nations shall stream to it….</em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>He shall judge between the nations,</span><br><span>and shall arbitrate for many peoples;</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,</span><br><span>and their spears into pruning-hooks;</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>nation shall not lift up sword against nation,</span><br><span>neither shall they learn war any more.</span></em></p><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><br><span>Romans 13:11-14</span></h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em>You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.</em></p><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><br><span>Matthew 24:36-44</span></h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em>Jesus said to the disciples, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”</em></p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;margin:32px auto"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align:center"></td><td align="left" width="683" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/9b80939a-f195-43a2-aaa4-f8b8a6c0a5b9?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="padding:0px;width:auto;height:auto;border:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin:0px" target="_blank"><img alt="" width="550" height="412.298682284041" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!y8xx!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F316aff14-95e6-4f01-b6bf-770dfbe5ab5a_683x512.heic" style="vertical-align:middle;display:block;height:auto;margin:0px auto;border:none;width:auto;max-width:100%"></a></td><td style="text-align:center"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;text-align:center;border-radius:4px"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=27abgl&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjE3NjcwODM2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.B5jfaf3fs91qH-ZvgxVv9NrN6xRhqwzoiCtmn4vsE0o" rel="" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;text-align:center;margin:0px;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);padding:12px 20px;height:auto;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none">Share</span></a></p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><span>“Wrinkly Time,” from </span><em><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/357ae7e4-0e42-462d-aa32-968b348e0497?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">A Beautiful Year</a><span> </span><br></em></h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>There are few books I’ve loved as much as I love Madeleine L’Engle’s </strong><em><strong>A Wrinkle in Time</strong></em><strong>. </strong><span>I first read it when I was about ten, just shy of the age of the protagonist, Meg Murry. And the story follows her, her brother, Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin on a journey through time and space to find the Murry children’s missing father, aided by three mysterious strangers: Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Mr. Murry is “behind the darkness” on a frightening, distant world called Camazotz. The children can only reach it through the means of the tesseract by “wrinkling” in time. But Meg struggles to understand. Mrs. Which explains to her:</p><blockquote style="border-left:4px solid rgb(13,148,136);margin:20px 0px;padding:0px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em>“Wwee musste ggo bbehindd thee sshaddow.”</em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“But we will not do it all at once,” Mrs. Whatsit comforted them.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“We will do it in short stages.” She looked at Meg. “Now we will tesser, we will wrinkle again. Do you understand?”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“No,” Meg said flatly.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Mrs. Whatsit signed. “Explanations are not easy when they are about things for which your civilization still has no words. Calvin talked about traveling at the speed of light. You understand that, little Meg?”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“Yes,” Meg nodded.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“That, of course, is the impractical, long way around. We have learned to take short cuts wherever possible . . .” Mrs. Whatsit looked over at Mrs. Who. “Take your skirt and show them.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Mrs. Who took a portion of her white robe in her hands and held it tight.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“You see,” Mrs. Whatsit said, “if a very small insect were to move from the section of skirt in Mrs. Who’s right hand to her left, it would be quite a long walk for him if he had to walk straight across.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Swiftly, Mrs. Who brought her hands, still holding the skirt, together.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“Now, you see,” Mrs. Whatsit said, “ he would be there without that long trip. That is how we travel.”</p></blockquote><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">The three Misses and Meg’s prodigy younger brother, Charles Wallace, continue to explain to Meg how time is the fourth dimension and the tesseract is the fifth. “In other words,” Charles Wallace said, “a straight line is not the shortest distance between two points.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">* * *</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>The readings for the first Sunday of Advent locate us in time: “In days to come,” “You know what time it is,” and “That day and hour no one knows.”</strong></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">On the face of it, that sounds simple. But it isn’t. What time is it? And what is time? Are we close or far, near or distant? Is time a line, a circle, a spiral, or a cylinder? Is it easily ordered by clocks and calendars, or does it flow like a river or blow like a breeze? Is it divided into past, present, and future? Does it mark our lives? Or is time primarily our experiences of dislocations, disruptions, and disjunctures?</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Advent is particularly confusing when it comes to time. When I was little, I remember asking my mother about Advent as we lit the first candle of the wreath: “What are we waiting for?”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">She said, without hesitation, “We’re waiting for Jesus to be born.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“But wasn’t he already born, Mommy? A long time ago?” I couldn’t figure this out. “Why are we waiting for something that already happened?”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Advent reenacts a past event as if it is new each year. And every week, in liturgical churches, we are reminded that “Christ will come again.” That’s the other Advent— the future one that hasn’t happened yet. Advent is about both of those times: the first coming of Jesus’s birth and the second coming of Jesus’s return. It is also true that Jesus comes to our hearts, a kind of personal Advent for every Christian. We’re waiting for Jesus— a memory, an experience, and a hope.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Christians have struggled to understand this. Entire New Testament books try to make sense of God and human time, of the various comings of Jesus, and of the tension between This Age and the expectation of the Age to Come. Christian theology speaks of already and not yet, of creation and recreation, of memory and anticipation. In a warring world, we await swords to be turned into plowshares. While governments ignore injustice, we long for liberation. As we toil in ordinary work, we are aware of God’s impending miraculous approach.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” sounds the Voice in John’s mystical revelation, “the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Perhaps we aren’t supposed to make sense of sacred time, of Advent and the multiple advents. The season of Advent invites us to see beyond the shadow, to be able to go behind the darkness and discover the pure love hidden on the other side.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">It isn’t a straight line from Alpha to Omega— it is a wrinkle in time — like the hem of Mrs. Who’s robe. Moving through time is where unexpected edges touch, mystery overlaps mystery, the journey of ages and eons and epochs dancing together like stars and planets. Maybe that’s the only way we glimpse the Bright Star, the rising dawn of the dream Isaiah saw.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Advent is much more than an arrival. It is more of a tesseract— a journey through time, flowing with wonder, a mysterious winding way to the place behind the darkness. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Let’s join hands and go there together.</p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;text-align:center;border-radius:4px"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&isFreemail=true&comments=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjE3NjcwODM2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.B5jfaf3fs91qH-ZvgxVv9NrN6xRhqwzoiCtmn4vsE0o&r=27abgl&utm_campaign=email-half-magic-comments&action=post-comment" rel="" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;text-align:center;margin:0px;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);padding:12px 20px;height:auto;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none">Leave a comment</span></a></p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h1 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:2em">ADVENT AT THE COTTAGE</h1><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><strong>ADVENT THEME: WHAT TIME IS IT?</strong></h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong><span>Advent Week 1: The Mystery of Time</span><br><span>Advent Week 2: Time in the Wilderness</span><br><span>Advent Week 3: Light and Time Entwined</span><br><span>Advent Week 4: Time for Justice</span></strong></p><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><span>We’ll be focusing on </span><em><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/357ae7e4-0e42-462d-aa32-968b348e0497?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">A Beautiful Year</a><span>, </span></em><span>the section of Advent essays. The best experience will be in tandem with reading the book. Hardback, e-book, and audio options are available from a variety of booksellers.</span></h4><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;text-align:center;border-radius:4px"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/357ae7e4-0e42-462d-aa32-968b348e0497?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;margin:0px;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;text-align:center;border-radius:4px;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);padding:12px 20px;height:auto;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none">Buy A BEAUTIFUL YEAR</span></a></p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><strong><span>🕯️ ADVENT TRACK 1: Everyone, Paid and Free Subscribers</span><br><span>no need for an additional sign-up</span></strong></h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>Regular Sunday Musings</strong><span>, based on Advent lectionary texts</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>Weekly</strong><span> suggestions to read along from </span><em>A Beautiful Year </em><span>with reflection questions. These will arrive on Monday.</span></p><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><strong><span>🕯️ ADVENT TRACK 2: Paid Subscribers Only</span><br><span>make sure you are a paid subscriber</span></strong></h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>Daily Audio Advent window moments</strong><span> from </span><em>A Beautiful Year</em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>Regular Sunday Musings</strong><span>, based on Advent lectionary texts. Paid subscribers receive this on Saturday.</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>Weekly </strong><span>suggestions to read along from </span><em>A Beautiful Year </em><span>with reflection questions. These will arrive on Monday.</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><strong>Thursday open comment thread </strong><span>in community on the theme for the week and a surprise Zoom gathering (or two)</span></p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em">Paid subscriptions for new annual subscribers and gift subscriptions are discounted 20% until December 7.</h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Click the button below for information and to sign-up (don’t worry about just clicking — you’re not charged until later in the process!).</p><div style="margin:0px 0px 1em;direction:ltr;font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><div style="text-decoration:unset;list-style:none;font-size:16px;line-height:26px;text-align:center;border-radius:4px"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9kaWFuYWJ1dGxlcmJhc3Muc3Vic3RhY2suY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91dG1fc291cmNlPXBvc3QmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPWVtYWlsLWNoZWNrb3V0Jm5leHQ9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZkaWFuYWJ1dGxlcmJhc3Muc3Vic3RhY2suY29tJTJGcCUyRnN1bmRheS1tdXNpbmdzLWFkdmVudC0xLWVjMiZyPTI3YWJnbCZ0b2tlbj1leUoxYzJWeVgybGtJam94TXpNeE56RXdOemNzSW1saGRDSTZNVGMyTkRRNU1UWTJOU3dpWlhod0lqb3hOelkzTURnek5qWTFMQ0pwYzNNaU9pSndkV0l0TkRjME1EQWlMQ0p6ZFdJaU9pSmphR1ZqYTI5MWRDSjkuamdjS01iUFFNMU04cGRraVQ3QUNQbG1PWEI5T1kycUJpWjMwV0Z3REUtYyIsInAiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwicyI6NDc0MDAsImYiOnRydWUsInUiOjEzMzE3MTA3NywiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjIwODAwNjc2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0wIiwic3ViIjoibGluay1yZWRpcmVjdCJ9.BbziqKgQ-gNY0Un-wxltjwUGMsVl7cryUiS2PwoDlro?&utm_medium=email&utm_source=subscribe-widget&utm_content=180203802" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;text-align:center;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;margin:0px auto;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);padding:12px 20px;height:auto;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(255,255,255)" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none">Upgrade to paid</span></a></div></div><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em">Give a gift of the Cottage to a friend!</h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;text-align:center;border-radius:4px"><a href="https://substack.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.BbziqKgQ-gNY0Un-wxltjwUGMsVl7cryUiS2PwoDlro?&gift=true" rel="" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;text-align:center;margin:0px;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);padding:12px 20px;height:auto;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none">Give a gift subscription</span></a></p><h5 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em"><span>If you would like to be part of the paid subscriber community and cannot afford it, please reach out to us </span><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/36b931f4-90a3-4ac4-80d0-a3b0dd71b13f?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">via EMAIL</a><span> (click the underlined link). We never turn away anyone with financial needs.</span></h5><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h3 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.375em"><strong>⭐️ SPECIAL ADVENT ADD-ON:</strong></h3><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><span>Advent with Diana & Tripp Fuller hosted by Homebrewed Christianity </span><br><span>“The Beginning of Another World: Advent Against Empire”</span></h4><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em">📣 This is a separate offering for anyone who signs up through Homebrewed as an add-on to Tracks 1 and/or 2.</h4><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><strong>Anyone</strong><span> who is part of The Cottage, whether a free or paid subscriber, can participate in this four-week Advent course.</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">The fee is flexible. Fill in $0.00 to $999,999 for the program when prompted to do so in the sign-up process.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px">Tripp’s not joking — donate anything from nothing to a million dollars. If you are struggling right now, fill in $0.00. We’re glad you will participate.</p><h4 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.125em"><span>Here’s the LINK for INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP at Homebrewed: </span><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/43174665-0eff-4737-bc4b-065911f3ed98?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">https://homebrewedchristianity.lpages.co/advent-2025-info-page/</a></h4><h5 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em"><em>Please note that I do not manage sign-ups, registration issues, or tech problems at Homebrewed Christianity. All your questions and concerns need to be directed to Tripp Fuller who handles event details for these courses.</em></h5><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><h3 style="font-family:"SF Pro Display",-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";font-weight:bold;margin:1em 0px 0.625em;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:1.16em;font-size:1.375em"><span>INSPIRATION</span><br></h3><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>The accumulated memories of annual emotion</span><br><span>May be concentrated into a great joy</span><br><span>Which shall be also a great fear, as on the occasion</span><br><span>When fear came upon every soul:</span><br><span>Because the beginning shall remind us of the end</span><br><span>And the first coming of the second coming.</span></em><br><strong><span>— T.S. Eliot, from </span><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/eb1a6248-7226-409a-8846-6e67306a1786?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">“The Cultivation of Christmas Trees”</a></strong></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><br><em><span>He will come like last leaf’s fall.</span><br><span>One night when the November wind</span><br><span>has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth</span><br><span>wakes choking on the mould,</span><br><span>the soft shroud’s folding.</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>He will come like frost.</span><br><span>One morning when the shrinking earth</span><br><span>opens on mist, to find itself</span><br><span>arrested in the net</span><br><span>of alien, sword-set beauty.</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>He will come like dark.</span><br><span>One evening when the bursting red</span><br><span>December sun draws up the sheet</span><br><span>and penny-masks its eye to yield</span><br><span>the star-snowed fields of sky.</span></em></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><em><span>He will come, will come,</span><br><span>will come like crying in the night,</span><br><span>like blood, like breaking,</span><br><span>as the earth writhes to toss him free.</span><br><span>He will come like child.</span></em><br><strong><span>— Rowan Williams, </span><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/cc6dfbdc-d621-49b4-b688-b320f16696f6?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">“Advent Calendar”</a></strong></p><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;border-top:1px solid rgb(221,221,221);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(221,221,221);margin:32px auto;text-align:center"><p style="color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;margin:32px 0px;text-align:center;font-weight:500;font-style:italic"><strong>Mrs. Whatsit was not speaking aloud, and yet through the wings Meg understood words. “My child, do not despair. Do you think we would have brought you here if there were no hope? We are asking you to do a difficult thing, but we are confident that you can do it.”</strong></p><p style="color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px;margin:32px 0px;text-align:center;font-weight:500;font-style:italic"><strong>— Madeleine L’Engle</strong></p></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;margin:32px auto"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align:center"></td><td align="left" width="724" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/a62cd5b2-8745-4ec1-8ad9-570acf292ce0?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" rel="" style="padding:0px;width:auto;height:auto;border:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin:0px" target="_blank"><img alt="" width="550" height="366.91988950276243" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRWr!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2069348c-2ce5-4ab3-a7a7-81ef0a74ac93_724x483.heic" style="vertical-align:middle;display:block;height:auto;margin:0px auto;border:none;width:auto;max-width:100%"></a></td><td style="text-align:center"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><hr style="margin:32px 0px;padding:0px;height:1px;background:rgb(221,221,221);border:none"></div><p style="margin:0px;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size:16px"></p></div></div><div style="margin:32px 0px 0px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;border-top:1px solid rgb(221,221,221);font-size:16px;line-height:26px"></div><div style="font-family:"Roboto Slab",sans-serif;font-weight:400;text-align:initial;word-break:break-word;margin:32px 0px;font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><p style="color:rgb(54,55,55);margin:0px auto 20px;text-align:center;width:90%;line-height:26px;font-size:16px"><span style="list-style:none;color:unset;text-decoration:unset;margin:0px">You're currently a free subscriber to <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/df62583d-c321-4fcf-b7fd-e174d1243d76?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">The Cottage</a>. For the full experience, <a href="https://substack.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.BbziqKgQ-gNY0Un-wxltjwUGMsVl7cryUiS2PwoDlro?&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=postcta" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">upgrade your subscription.</a></span></p><p style="color:rgb(54,55,55);margin:0px auto;width:90%;line-height:26px;font-size:16px;text-align:center"><a role="button" href="https://substack.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.BbziqKgQ-gNY0Un-wxltjwUGMsVl7cryUiS2PwoDlro?&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=postcta" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;border:none;height:40px;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;font-weight:600;text-align:center;padding:10px 20px;margin:0px;opacity:1;outline:none;white-space:nowrap;background-color:rgb(13,148,136);color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Upgrade to paid</a></p></div><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-top:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);min-width:100%"><tbody><tr height="16"><td height="16" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"> </td></tr><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0px auto"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&isFreemail=true&submitLike=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwicmVhY3Rpb24iOiLinaQiLCJpYXQiOjE3NjQ0OTE2NjUsImV4cCI6MTc2NzA4MzY2NSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ3NDAwIiwic3ViIjoicmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.ZH9vXk85qRzn7sngxt7huV56IHoeOZyudwJpEsOfDbk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-reaction&r=27abgl" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:12px;padding:9px 14px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119)" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PeVs!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FLucideHeart%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="margin-right:8px;min-width:18px;min-height:18px;border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""><span style="vertical-align:middle">Like</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="8" style="min-width:8px"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=47400&post_id=180203802&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&isFreemail=true&comments=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjE3NjcwODM2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.B5jfaf3fs91qH-ZvgxVv9NrN6xRhqwzoiCtmn4vsE0o&r=27abgl&utm_campaign=email-half-magic-comments&action=post-comment&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:12px;padding:9px 14px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119)" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x1tS!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FLucideComments%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="margin-right:8px;min-width:18px;min-height:18px;border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""><span style="vertical-align:middle">Comment</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="8" style="min-width:8px"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://substack.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.YRh23RTVmJorr-mFCjJnP2ktfib3IqWyCWLXVHEMIRg?&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";display:inline-block;font-weight:500;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:9999px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;line-height:12px;padding:9px 14px;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(119,119,119)" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5EGt!,w_36,c_scale,f_png,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Ficon%2FNoteForwardIcon%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke%3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width="18" height="18" style="margin-right:8px;min-width:18px;min-height:18px;border:none;vertical-align:middle;max-width:18px" alt=""><span style="vertical-align:middle">Restack</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td align="right"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr height="16"><td height="16" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="color:rgb(119,119,119);text-align:center;font-size:16px;line-height:26px"><div style="font-size:16px;line-height:26px;padding-bottom:24px"><p style="list-style:none;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol";padding-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:16px;margin:0px;color:rgb(119,119,119);text-decoration:unset">© 2025 <span>Diana Butler Bass</span><br>1520 Belle View Blvd., #630, Alexandria, VA 22307 <br><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9kaWFuYWJ1dGxlcmJhc3Muc3Vic3RhY2suY29tL2FjdGlvbi9kaXNhYmxlX2VtYWlsP3Rva2VuPWV5SjFjMlZ5WDJsa0lqb3hNek14TnpFd056Y3NJbkJ2YzNSZmFXUWlPakU0TURJd016Z3dNaXdpYVdGMElqb3hOelkwTkRreE5qWTFMQ0psZUhBaU9qRTNPVFl3TWpjMk5qVXNJbWx6Y3lJNkluQjFZaTAwTnpRd01DSXNJbk4xWWlJNkltUnBjMkZpYkdWZlpXMWhhV3dpZlEuby1lUGNmMjhoUGtzeDdWSTRIczBrcmJ1TGxObFQxaC1tcWFsVFp1dlBISSIsInAiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwicyI6NDc0MDAsImYiOnRydWUsInUiOjEzMzE3MTA3NywiaWF0IjoxNzY0NDkxNjY1LCJleHAiOjIwODAwNjc2NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0wIiwic3ViIjoibGluay1yZWRpcmVjdCJ9.8MgfP3Q5WxsR9h13Yf51n0E4bpiPLY4dHU7bvew4e3A?" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(119,119,119);text-decoration:underline">Unsubscribe</span></a></p></div><p style="padding:0px 24px;font-size:12px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;color:rgb(119,119,119);font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol""><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/1ac49ca7-4883-4fb1-a6b2-25cda6d8453e?j=eyJ1IjoiMjdhYmdsIn0.a5mGQVoB3vzed8xBhYlHZx606own8Ym0m-sZdM6_UsA" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;margin:0px 4px" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzGP!,w_262,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Fimg%2Femail%2Fgeneric-app-button%402x.png" width="131" alt="Get the app" height="40" style="max-width:550px;vertical-align:middle;border:none"></a><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vc2lnbnVwP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c3Vic3RhY2smdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1mb290ZXImdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPWF1dG9maWxsZWQtZm9vdGVyJmZyZWVTaWdudXBFbWFpbD1tYXJ5ZW1hY21pbGxhbkBnbWFpbC5jb20mcj0yN2FiZ2wiLCJwIjoxODAyMDM4MDIsInMiOjQ3NDAwLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1IjoxMzMxNzEwNzcsImlhdCI6MTc2NDQ5MTY2NSwiZXhwIjoyMDgwMDY3NjY1LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.NHh26q555PMkeEpF0czkYtFLNJBUqAfL8CrrnuLMCPQ?" style="color:rgb(13,148,136);text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;margin:0px 4px" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LkrL!,w_270,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Fimg%2Femail%2Fpublish-button%402x.png" width="135" alt="Start writing" height="40" style="max-width:550px;vertical-align:middle;border:none"></a></p></div></div></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><img src="https://eotrx.substackcdn.com/open?token=eyJtIjoiPDIwMjUxMTI5MTY1MjA5LjMuMDk1NmZkNWU3YTA1ODAzNEBtZy1kMC5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20-IiwidSI6MTMzMTcxMDc3LCJyIjoibWFyeWVtYWNtaWxsYW5AZ21haWwuY29tIiwiZCI6Im1nLWQwLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbSIsInAiOjE4MDIwMzgwMiwidCI6Im5ld3NsZXR0ZXIiLCJhIjoiZXZlcnlvbmUiLCJzIjo0NzQwMCwiYyI6InBvc3QiLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6ImJvdHRvbSIsImlhdCI6MTc2NDQ5MTY2NiwiZXhwIjoxNzY3MDgzNjY2LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImVvIn0.HQaeoSspkmfiCwnxr08g9dZDDH7ygMWerfQFrprNdkA" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" style="height:1px;width:1px;border-width:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/o/eJxE0Emq4zAQxvHTRLs2pdHxQmcxJansFq0haEjj2z8ywNt-BX9-lMdBZ22XfdQ-WLBG4qEDI8tXo9TGjVkZZYxpP6lQw0Fhx_F7NbAB-2sDqnA454XSngCN30RALrUxEpDMwaIVIDTnYuNGC9gWucCmzRE0rQj6DlLdFOTzT4ClT9cH-n-Lr5nFvh-N3gQ72iT2gu44Q6TiydKT2lXLd47B8jsIkHcQn2VcD7KF_vdEY1Bjj-l2X3OeJY5rp4IuUfiGp0vR44i1vEJqVQCs2Yztoow-x5Sw3BScL8vb1qcLNWMsNkQs6OZI1Bz2zsbnn7NTe6Ok5CuHdWVPK34CAAD__2rie-4"></div></div></div></div></div>
</div></div>