yesterday adam drove millie back to nashville and so rosie, maxx and i went to procure a Christmas tree. even though adam made a valiant effort in our yearly debate over Christmas tree procurement. this year he had a small victory. he managed to convince maxx to join his side as a NON Christmas tree procurer. most likely because the heavy lifting of tree work (carrying it in, lights, and taking off lights and carrying it out of the house falls to one of the marshall men.) adam doesn't like decorating for the holidays. or any days. i am certain this stems from deep seeded childhood issues that a therapist could wrangle out of his subconscious but a man who doesn't want to spend $30 on a Christmas tree isn't about to spend $150 on a therapist. and frankly there may be other stuff in that subconscious that needs to stay sub. so it is a yearly debate betwixt my man and me. and every year we (meaning the me part of we) end up with a tree. usually i try to buy and put it up when he isn't home. like a surprise/ambush/revolution.
so as we set out yesterday on our Christmas tree conspiracy, i mentioned that we were off on an adventure (trying to make it sound more fun than a regular trip to costco.) then maxx pointed out that the very word "adventure" had the word ADVENT in it. which i had never really thought about. i asked him what the etymology of adventure was. did it have something to do with "advent"? because maxx and i are freaks about etymologies and like to use them in conversations all willy nilly like. maxx said "yes" since it has the implication of something arriving by chance. then maxx explained to me yesterday that the words quest, journey, and adventure are not synonymous. i asked him what was the difference. he explained...
a QUEST is a search to find an object or knowledge.
a JOURNEY is travel from one place to another.
and an ADVENTURE is something that happens that is unknown to the adventurer. it has an unknown outcome at the start.
i nodded and pretended i already knew all of that. i can't let maxx think he is smarter than his mother. he is already taller. and more talented. and has a much better sense of style. i need to maintain some level of dignity...
here is the actual etymology (which is really close to what maxx told me. sigh. i can't hold on to my lead for long. he is going to figure out that i am the village idiot. in fact i bet he already knows it and is using his acting skills to hide his knowledge of that fact. dang. he's even a better actor...)
adventure (n.)
auenture "that which happens by chance, fortune, luck," from Old French aventure "chance, accident, occurrence, event, happening," from Latin adventura "about to happen," from adventurus, future participle of advenire "to come to, reach, arrive at," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + venire "to come" (see venue).
Meaning developed through "risk/danger" (a trial of one's chances), and "perilous undertaking" and thence to "a novel or exciting incident". Earlier it also meant "a wonder, a miracle; accounts of marvelous things" (13c.).
advent (n.)
"important arrival," from Latin adventus "a coming, approach, arrival."
so we concluded that we couldn't really say we were going on an adventure. you can't really plan for an adventure. it might happen. but only God plans adventures.
which is a perfect description for this advent season. we can "plan" for Christmas as much as we want. but the true meaning of Christmas only comes when we have ADVENT happen to us. something unforeseen. something risky, perilous, wonderful, something marvelous. that we didn't plan for. that we weren't looking for. that we didn't want but always needed...
so i would say that i hope this season is all three for you... a QUEST like the wisemen were on to find knowledge and a King. a JOURNEY like mary and joseph were on to get to a place of origin. but most of all i hope it is an ADVENTURE which happened to everyone involved in the story of the first Christmas. which comes only from the One who was before all things began and who will be revealing wonders into eternity...
