By Jonathan Camiolo

 

I like taking road trips.  My friends and I do not mind taking long drives especially with good music, the right snack food and people you love to hag out with.  We have driven all over the West Coast and down the East Coast too.  I have driven from NJ to Alaska and back in two weeks with stops in 23 states, 6 national parks, 3 Canadian provinces and visits to friends along the way.  That trip was the longest covering 9,000 miles – that’s an average of over 600 miles per day.  We learned to sleep in the car and to drive through the night a lot so that we would not waste the day hour with driving.  What a trip!

 

Now as a part of the trip, I seemed to always get the late night driving, or better yet, the early morning driving.  I would be on from 1 am to 8 am or so man times and as the hours drag on the night seems forever.  Thank God for coffee.  There were times though that I thought I might fall asleep at the wheel so I would have to stop or wake up one of the guys to make sure I kept my eyes open.  Gratefully I can say it all worked out and caffeine sure helped.

 

Driving tired can be worse than driving drunk they say – or it is the same in terms of danger.  I have definitely been too tired driving and juts had to fight to get home.  To keep my eyes open was a torture.  Many times I have had to stop and sleep at a rest stop or on the side of a highway because I cannot possibly keep my eyes open.  Just last night I could not wait to get into bed after driving home.  It was not one of those dangerous times at all, but I was tired.  It was one of those nights that if I stopped at a red light and closed my eyes, I just might have fallen asleep.

 

The Gospel this week is clear, as is the second reading – Be ready!  Stay awake!  Keep your eyes open!  Jesus is coming and you don’t know when so be ready.  That is what Advent is about – anticipation of Jesus’ birth and coming to earth.  We are supposed to be getting ready for Christmas.  It is not here yet, despite the store and Christmas songs, it is Advent.  Christmas is coming.  Jesus wants to do something special in all of us this Christmas – stay awake and keep your easy open so you don’t miss it.

 

Think of what you want for Christmas of Jesus – more love, joy, peace, forgiveness, patience…what is it? Think. Pray. Decide. Change.  YOU ARE LOVED!