I'm not quite sure where the year has gone - I think I've literally slept through a large part of it! - but here we are in Advent again. We've had the wonderful Advent Carol Service at church, got out the advent calendar at home, and have now decorated the Christmas tree which beautifully illuminates its corner of the living room. For the past six years, this has been a particularly reflective time for me - not only in the ways the church intends, but also in a very personal