I find myself looking back this Advent to remember traditions my parents and my siblings shared. Many of them are simple, but they give me deep joy and peace at how wondrous it is to be present during this season.  One of our traditions was to go out to a farm and pick a beautiful live Christmas tree. It had a large root ball and was quite heavy. The hole where it would be planted was already dug and prepared. For me today this is a symbol of hope. We are not cut down during Advent, but rather planted to grow again in Spring. There is much to look forward…