Mary, a Puzzle, and Almsgiving

 "If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady, just say this simple prayer: 'Mary, mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.'  I must admit, this prayer has never failed me."        -St. Teresa of Calcutta

Spring break is over.  Girls are back in school.  I am only a little behind in my writing.  All in all it is a beautiful Lenten season as we reach week 4- more than half way over!  I did a small personal devotion to Mother Mary while eating blueberry waffles and drinking blueberry tea.  I saw this statue of Mary in a neighbor's yard on my walk a few days ago.  It really is inspiring me to create a Marian garden but it is a little scary to want to put a statue in such close proximity to a Baptist church but it is still an idea and a prayer.  It may never go beyond that.  

 

 "Enough is as good as a feast." -Sir Thomas Malory

To take my mind off the current troubles and to fulfill the prompt for the day taking out a puzzle was so refreshingly simple and gave Lucy something to do with me.  It is a 1000 pieces so it is not so easy and I have loose goal of trying to finish it by Easter but at the rate I am going it might be done by Pentecost.

 "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." -Yoda

I live in a world of too much irony right now.  Many of the prompts and challenges this week were about giving money to your parish or charity and I checked our account this week.  It has less than $40 in the checking.  Usually we have a our tax return done by now so that really hurt when Amazon Prime took their yearly dues plus gas prices are almost $5 a gallon.  I have to keep looking at this as just another opportunity to trust God more and more.  It still hurts when I hear about everyone else's vacations or even something as innocuous seeming as raising prices for "Women's Ministry" events.  I cling to Jesus ever more tightly.  But praise be to God, we do have money for food and our house is a safe, warm place.  There is always something to be grateful for. 

Transition, Prayer Journaling, and Walking Outside

 "Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving.  The people who haven't earned it, who haven't even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion." -Bryan Stevenson, Activist 

As I hit about the half way point of Lent things usually start loosening up and I start feeling a wee bit guilty.  I tend to think more about "when will this be over" or I start "forgetting" all the intentions and fasting and giving I wanted to do.  It starts becoming too unrealistic and I get discouraged because I have little to no support or encouragement.  It is a definitely a time of transition.  I also reflect on the word transition because you can see the seasons changing and my girls are growing up.  Two of my girls went to The Enchanted Forest with me.  It is more of a place for younger kids.  My kids are 14 and 10, but I had some gift cards to use up and I didn't want to just stay home during Spring Break.  When your children are young and so dependent on you frustration come and you just want them to grow-up.  And when they do grow-up you start getting wistful for the days when they did need you.  I don't feel that way very often, but the feelings can sneak up on me at times.  I wonder how Jesus felt when he was tempted for forty days and hit the half way point.  Did he know it was the half way point?  How did the angels minister to him?  These are just some rambling thoughts and feelings, but I hope I can renew my commitments and finish Lent 2022 strong.  

"Success isn't about the end result, it's about what you learn along the way." -Vera Wang

I haven't had a prayer journal in a long time, but instead I have been copying down prayers.  This one is The Penitential Prayer of Saint Augustine.  I wanted this notebook to be more communal and less personal.  My girls have written some prayers from our Rice and Beans Devotional.  I hope this is something useful and makes memories.  

"Anything you can't control is teaching you how to let go." -Jackson Kiddard, Philosopher

One thing I have learned to "let go of" is when the weather will be nice especially around spring where it teases you one day with a clear sky and sunshine and the next is windy, wet, and cloudy.  We have had three fairly nice days this week.  It isn't very warm but it is in the low to mid 60s by noon which is a perfect time for a walk.  The picture of me is on one of my walks.  I still haven't started my 5k training yet but it is nice to stretch and strength my legs before the hard stuff begins.  I look forward to more discipline in my life- continue praying!  

Rice Bowl plus Spring Break Fun

 "Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night." -George Herbert, Poet

Spring Break has officially started and it is nice to get some sleep!  So far this Lent I have mostly stuck to eating rice and beans for dinner with a few exceptions.  I miss my morning coffee but at least on Sundays I can partake.  I did go back to listening to music in the car this week because the car was making me very nervous and the only way I could stop worrying was to put music on and pray.  But today the gas gauge seems to be back to normal- Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!!!  Lenten devotions are on a little pause but I still try to vote and read when I can.  For Lent Madness I voted for Emma of Hawaii because I use to live there and that seemed like an obvious choice.  I had never heard of her before. 

Yesterday, Hermione and Lucy and I went to the capitol building and had a tour.  We walked around and took pictures with the cherry blossoms.  We had lunch at A&W.  I think I finally have the hang of Spring Break!  Spring break in Oregon is so rainy and cold and use to make me really depressed.  But I was determined to make this one fun with as many gift cards as we could and using the Spring Break Passport.  You can get stamps at fun places in Salem like the capitol building and some museums.  Ariana would rather play video games all day and I don't want to take any complainers so she can stay home with dad.  Here are some pictures from yesterday:

 

Happy Spring Break!🌸

Rest and the First Day of Spring

 "The important thing is to do charity, not to talk about charity.  We must understand the work with very poor people as God's chosen mission." -Sister Irma Dulce

Thank God for Spring Break- we have already had much needed rest although I haven't done much cleaning.  I also went for a beautiful spring walk and was greeted by rain as well as sunshine and all manners of daffodils and grape hyacinth.  It has me longing for the colors of my own garden knowing that that may be months down the road provided we have the funds.  I will start praying for that right now.  

 "Fasting is identifying with Christ in his suffering." -Asheritah Ciuciu, author

 

This Sunday was the first day of spring and I celebrated by planning our spring break week.  As always being conscience of budget constraints I went through all of our gift cards and had the girls pick at random from a bucket for where we would most likely be able to eat and what we could do.  I am getting very nervous because our car is acting up a bit and I still have not been contacted as to our eligibility for food stamps.  I turned in our application nearly a week ago now and usually I hear back by then.  Here is where I continue to pray and trust God in all circumstances.  If things go as planned it should be fun and meaningful.  But even if things don't go as planned I pray for grace and understanding and that God will give me the creativity to make some memories. 

Clovers and a Fish Fry

 "Take a day to heal from the lies you've told yourself and the ones that have been told to you." -Maya Angelou

We celebrate St. Patrick's Day a little early this year because I was running out of meal ideas for the youth group.  I thought well why don't we just do corned beef and cabbage and mashed potatoes and such then we can eat the leftovers on actual St. Patrick's Day.  It turned out very well because Hermione had a band concert that night so leftovers made it much easier.  I also made a lot of cupcakes and Lucy helped decorate them.  

In my mind I feel like I didn't get that much done but I think that might be another lie I am telling myself when I feel like I am comparing myself to others.  At least taking a break from Facebook helps to keep some of the lies at bay- it helps a lot.  

"We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world." -Stations of the Cross

On Friday since there was no school I let myself sleep for as long as I could and it was glorious!  Praise God for sleep and restoration!  I spent most of Friday, here, blogging and reflecting.  I cooked our fish, vegetables, and rice & beans while listening to the Stations of the Cross.  It was a simple, good day.  

Healing, Ministry Mentor, & the Challenge

 "Simplicity of life is essential for greatness of life." -Sister Erskine Stuart

Confession Time- I have been letting my heart get too busy and believing the lies of "you will be happy if you do this or get this"....  So I bow before my Creator and Lord, to please give me contentment in the simple things.  Heal me and bring me to life.  I confess some worry and I confess that I love sleep more than most. I had trouble every day this week getting up to read  A Book of Hours, but I believe have the grace to try again and again.  I need pray to stay focused on my tasks.  

"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature-- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter." -Rachel Carson, Marine Biologist

 

Lent Madness Update- between Youth Group, St. Patrick's Day, anticipating Spring Break with my girls, and Hermione's band concert- I actually missed a day of voting AND didn't read a couple of the biographies, yet.  It maybe a bit of stretch but this is the picture I took of my bracket and used for Instalent Challenge for the prompt Ministry Mentor.  I am counting the Saints as my "ministry mentor(s)"  Here were a couple of the match ups this week:

Perpetua vs. Cecilia- I voted for Perpetua because she was a mom and suffered terribly in jail.  It was tough because Cecilia is the patron saint of singing, but her story didn't move me as much.  I think you can guess by now that my choice did not move on.  

Jose Hernandez vs. Constance of Memphis- This one was a bit of an upset for me.  I wrote down Jose Hernandez on my bracket to win this round but funny story- I ended up voting for Constance of Memphis just to give the girl a chance.  I feel like I should have known about the story of Constance of Memphis and I feel like more people should know about her too.  Plus I have a friend who just moved to Tennessee recently so there is that.  But guess who moved on?  Jose Hernandez!  So 4/10 called correctly, not great odds but my guy is next so he is not out of the running!!!

Origen vs. Hilda of Whitby- okay, so this one was a no-brainer for me and I have to admit that I didn't even read the biographies yet.  But I will be cheering on Origen from the beginning for the simple fact that he is one of my husbands favorites and I still remember when I was pregnant that this was one of the names he was tossing around as an option for if we had a son, which we obviously did not.  He is widely considered the father of the church and I am going to stop right here and go read the biographies in case I got that wrong and because I know literally nothing about Hilda of Whitby.....So after reading the biographies Hilda was sounds pretty awesome.  Good thing I already voted so I don't have to do what I did today.  

Felix vs. Oscar- I missed the voting time for this one!  I was busy listening to the 500th episode of the Holy Post Podcast and doing laundry and dishes while also feeling very tired that I didn't read or vote.  Hang on again while I read up on these two and then tell you who I probably would have voted for...I put Oscar in my brackets and he passed on btw.  After reading the stories of these two, I think I would have voted for Oscar because he brought Christianity to Scandinavian nations and my husband's family is from Norway.  

Juliana of Leige vs. Blaise- this was today's (Friday) match up.  I actually tossed a coin for this one because on my bracket I put down Blaise to win but I really wanted to vote for Juliana of Leige.  But ultimately I voted for Juliana because my girl loved the Eucharist and helped start the Feast of Corpus Christi through a vision.  I am usually not into the mystics but I am really into liturgical living which I think gives me more in common with Juliana of Leige than Blaise who is the patron saint of throat problems.  Maybe things would have been different if I had woken up with a sore throat this morning, but we will never know.  

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." -Princess Diana

So far I would say this Lent has actually been pretty do able.  Do I always do what I should? No, but I give myself grace and I really need to understand that I don't think I am any good to God when I don't get at least 8 hours of sleep.  I just don't feel alive or well when I regularly get less than that.  I also haven't taken many pictures of my kids during this Lent because they are really in that old kid phase were I don't want to push them or force them to do things that don't make sense to them or cause them to reject Christ.  But the picture prompt for today was #Challenge and I couldn't think of anything that I hadn't already taken a picture of but then it occurred to me that the most challenging thing I am doing right now is being a mom and especially trying to guide and teach Lucy.  She is my daughter with Type 1 Diabetes and very artistic but she can also be moody and easily discontented.  I could have put up a picture of all my girls, but at this time in my life, Lucy, has a rough road ahead and it is all so challenging.  I have to put my trust in God so completely to get through this even knowing that this is not the end.  Saint Sophia, patron saint of daughters, pray for us! 

Stations of the Cross, a Stone, & Church

 "Ignoring food when you have surplus and appetite, to deal in weightier matters of the soul, this is what it means to fast." -Oluseyi Akinbami, Nigerian Poet

Friday- I abstained from eating meat and have been reading things on "weightier" matters.  It has been a fine balance of not wasting food but not eating randomly or out of boredom.  I am so glad that the Father of Mercy and Grace gives to those who ask as I try to walk in way that is worthy and challenging to my life.  I listen to the "Stations of the Cross" on Youtube while cooking.  I have the Stations printed and ready to be hung up when I get the chance, but for now they are just sitting on my desk/table.  

"Choose every day to forgive yourself.  You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love." -Alison Malee, Poet and Artist

 

I don't think I agree with the sentiment of forgiving yourself, exactly, but letting God work in your life to forgive me- now that I can get on board with.  I spent Saturday in a bit of a strange funk.  I did a lot of cooking and binge watching, but not much prayer, reflection, or reading.  I confess a gloom of laziness and the fear of Daylight Savings time change came over me.  I drank way too much soda to counteract the feelings of exhaustion- so with caffeine and the power of God I was able to wake up at 5am to put a roast in the crock pot and bake a loaf of bread.  I confess discouragement over my children and their attitudes and the rice and beans project.  I knew it was going to be hard, but it is still discouraging when hearts aren't changed as quickly as one would like.  I have to remember that teaching them and seeing them grow is a marathon and not a sprint.  I pray that I may one day see the fruits of my labors.  

"Where there is plenty, charity is a duty, not a courtesy." -Owen Feltham, English Essayist

Today, Sunday, I am also challenging myself this week to pray the hours with Thomas Merton's book A Book of Hours.  The cycle of prayers is at Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Dark- I love alliterations!  I am planning on reading the selections at 6am, 9am, 7pm, & 10:00pm.  This will have to be a bit flexible as life is sure to interrupt.  In fact, this mornings 9am prayer got pushed to 1pm because of church.  But I am glad to be able to set aside the time and examine this life.  Merton is a bit of a mystic so sometimes some things don't make a whole lot of sense to me.  It deals with a lot of paradoxes, but I know God will lead me to understanding and even if this is not the kind of book or prayers for me the plain old ability to sit contemplatively four times a day for at least 15 min. is a miracle alone.  

Hobby and Hometown

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -Psalm 27:14

Yesterday I had an amazing time of prayer and crying out to God.  I focused on the Penitential Psalms- more specifically Psalm 130.  I am finding I need a lot of patience as I wait for God to reveal His word to me and to trust Him.  I listened to an episode of the Holy Post Podcast while I was cross stitching last night.  I have been working on the Hogwarts Crest Pattern for at least two years- I know because I took a picture of my progress in 2020!  I haven't made much progress since then!  

 

"I can live for two months on a good compliment." -Mark Twain

Today's photo prompt was Hometown and I was debating with myself on what to photograph.  I broke my Lenten fast of rice and beans to get some coffee and a puff pastry.  But I also did it to honor St. Drogo who I just learned is the patron saint of coffee and people who are unattractive!!  See how much I am learning from Lent Madness?  Speaking of Lent Madness my bracket is not doing so great- it started off pretty good.  I had Stephen beating out Wenceslaus and Kateri beating Olaf.  I even got Teresa of Avila winning over Crispin.  But I was a bit surprised when Madeleine Barat beat Mashtots!  I will tell you why I voted for who I voted for:

-Stephen over Wenceslaus because Stephen was the first martyr and his story made a big impression on me when I saw it reenacted in a mini-series as a kid.  Plus I have a cousin named Stephen.  

-Kateri over Olaf because Native Americans need some love especially right now and from reading her story you could tell she had huge amounts of trauma.  Olaf just seemed like a big meanie!  

-Mesrop Mashtots over Madeleine Barat because he loved translations and words- just like me!  He used his skills to create the Armenian alphabet and write out the Bible.  Plus his name sounds so fun!  He didn't continue on, unfortunately.   

-Melania the Elder over Hilary of Poitiers because she gave up her life as a rich ruler and even left her family behind to support the work of Christ and the monks that worked in the desert of Egypt.  I also felt a bit guilty for voting for a man yesterday during March (Women's Month), but in the end it didn't help.  Hilary, a man btw, went on to the next round.  

-Teresa of Avila over Crispin because I can tell she is one of the most popular saints around here and one of my husband's cousin's daughters is named Avila- so I had to vote for her.  She, of course, made it to the next round.  

-Lydia over James Holly because she is in the Bible as one of the first European converts and I have a friend named Lydia who is Catholic.  Plus I felt that maybe I should keep voting for as many women (they feel like underdogs) as I can at least during the month of March.  Again, my vote didn't make it and James Holly went on- he was cool, too, though.  No hard feelings on this one.  

-Today I voted for Drogo over Columbanus because of the obvious reasons- the Saint of Coffee and Unattractive People- duh!!!  As of right now it looks like he isn't going to pull through....ugh!  This one is going to sting a little.  

Tomorrows vote is going to be extra hard because it is two men and I have picked Aloysius Gonzaga to win this round but with my luck is not looking so good.  I picked him because Gonzaga school is near here on the West coast but I come to find out that his rival Thomas of Villanova also has a school but on the East coast and the East seems to be represented in Lent Madness much more.  I think that is why they were pitted against each other!  They seem equally great as far as saints go BUT the one thing that Gonzaga has up again Villanova is that Aloysius is the patron saint of THE PLAGUE and that feels appropriate after going through COVID.  A little dramatic?  Yes!  But I will take pity votes at this point- hahaahaha!  

Any way, this is all in good fun!  

Lastly I want to leave you with the Prayer of St. Francis which has meant so much to me this week.  

Purple, My Favorite Charity, & Pretzels

 "In God's will, there is great peace." -St. Josephine Bakhita

I can take in a deep breath and receive His peace.  I gave myself a lot of rest in these couple of days as I prepare myself spiritually, mentally, and physically to go back to 5k training.  I haven't been taking care of my body as well as I could.  But here in this space I have created a place to reflect and pray and plan and used a lot of PURPLE to do so!

"Lord, help me be willing to live in the gap between the way things are and the way I wish they were." -Heather King

One of the challenges of Lent is trying to pick a charity to give money to because I don't really have a "favorite" charity.  But this year we are doing the rice and beans challenge from Lahash so it is obvious where we will be giving our money this year.  

"Truthfully, I don't like the binge-watching model.  I think that if you give everybody everything all at once, there's very much a law of diminishing returns as far as their enjoyment of them."

 -Timothy Simons, Actor

One of the Microchallenges from the Busted Halo Lent Calendar was to fast from watching TV and streaming shows, but of course I didn't see it till the day was almost over and I had basically spent all day binging because my husband was gone at a pastor's conference and I so very rarely get to watch what I want.  To make up for it I didn't watch any shows today and spent the day doing the Microchallenge for today- praying the penitential Psalms, but I will talk about that another time.  

Lucy made a snack mix with pretzels which is absolutely perfect for Lent- it even looks a little purple!

Meatless Meals and Prayer Intentions

 "Where there is clarity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance." -St. Francis of Assisi

The days have already been swiftly moving!  Last Friday started with a bit of a rushed time to vote for Olaf vs. Kateri Tekakwitha for Lent Madness.  I thought the decision was fairly easy- vote for a crazy Viking or a Native American sufferer.  Obvious choice- vote for Kateri and it was obvious for everyone else as well.  She has moved on to the next round.  I got to spend most of the rest of the day read Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy by Frederica Matthewes-Green.  I am overwhelmed by how much I am learning and falling in love with Orthodoxy.  Hopefully more about that later.  Because it came as a surprise that Hermione had another band thing at school in the evening so I was in a bit of a rush to make dinner- meatless and with a hearty serving of rice and beans of course- and then catch my ride to a friend's to watch IF: Gathering 2022.  Now I will be the first person to admit that I am not a fan of Women's emotional conferences and the frenzied worship style, but I want to be supportive and continue to give it a try.  This wasn't too much different from what I expected, but I did like the heart and conviction of the ladies and ministry goals.  I am willing to give it a tentative thumbs up mostly because I am so desperate for other people and community (which, believe me is RARE for ME) that I do have to applaud the effort.  Are some of the speakers a bit wishy-washy?  Yeah.  Do they focus and rely on the flash and sparkle of well-known speakers for promotion? Yeah.  Is there a lot things I could be picky about? Of course- I  wish there weren't so many "whoo-hoos" and repetitious songs and coerced repeat after me moments.  But I am going to put the negative stuff aside for now and pray that some day I could find an event that is not so cringe for me.  Believe me when I say I went down a HUGE 3 hour rabbit hole on discernment and truth seeking about the gathering and speakers trying to be gracious while not getting angry and feeling absolutely miserable about Christianity and church in general.  Moral of this rant- I need prayer!  

Which naturally brings me to the next topic- prayer intentions.  I, obviously, need some personal prayers while I struggle with the conflicts of ministry, but I have actually been praying on how to bring the beauty of the Lenten season into my very Baptist church.  I teach Sunday school to mostly my own girls but I have had a few extra regular attendees in the last month or so.  I pray that I am choosing the right kinds of activities and I pray they hear the gospel.  I spent much of Saturday working on the lesson that snowballed into what I wanted to reflect on- Christian symbols and church seasons of remembrance or memorial.  The original lesson was on the Miracle at the Jordan River, but once I started noticing all the parallels I couldn't stop.  I redid our bulletin board and can't wait to share with my students the tools to become more like Christ.  

So now after all of that I need some rest.  My heart is weary from feeling like I don't even know what to do beyond trusting God.  Maybe that is all there is, but some days it does feel like there could be more.

"Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us.  But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God's voice and understand what he asks of us." -Pope Francis

Sacrifice

 "What if we view this desert time of Lent as not just a time to reflect or to lament or to confess or to fast, but a time where we learn to be free?" -Megan Westra, speaker and author

The day is only just beginning and I feel peaceful and content.  First off this morning in Lent Madness we have our first two Saints of 2022 facing off- Stephen and Wenceslaus.  I filled out my bracket last night and I still think Origen is going to go- ALL THE WAY!  But today I voted for Stephen for a couple of reasons.  His story in the Bible is so moving.  If you have ever seen or hear of the miniseries called A.D. I often think of the moving scenes of Stephen's stoning.  You can view it on Youtube HERE  I watched it often as kid- I feel like I might have been the only child who was into watching Bible stories or it could have been the only thing we had available.  In any case, it did make a huge impact on me.  Plus I also voted for Stephen because I have a cousin named Stephen and just seemed like the right thing to do.  

Today's topic is Sacrifice so as I said in my last post our family will be Eating Rice and Beans in solidarity with children in Africa and to focus on simple meals so we have more time to pray and money to save to donate to Lahash.  Ironically we just ran out of money on our Food Stamps card so this will be a real test of faith and trust that God will provide and hopefully we have something leftover to donate.  I went through our pantry and pulled out just about every kind of bean and rice we have plus some couscous.  I was mildly surprised by the variety we have.  Tonight we will be officially starting dinner with a bean chili and rice with greens and homemade bread.  I am also trying to only eat bread I bake at home.  These project always start off so positive and fizzle out but I am being cautiously optimistic this year.  

My prayer for today:

Dear God, 

You are full of grace and mercy, O Lord.  Please help my family to understand Lent.  Lent is not just sacrifice.  It is the glorious freedom of less is more.  It is the time we get to love more.  It is opening up to all that You have made possible if we only turn from our sins. 

I confess that I am tempted to overeat.  I confess I ate 2 slices of cheese pizza last night, but I know there is grace and I know you love me even when I mess up.  

Thank you for beans and rice and for all that you provide.  Help my family to love you and thank you for the simple things.  

Give me the courage to do what I should do and please help me find a way to fix my teeth.  

In Jesus' glorious name,

Amen

Ashes

 "Ash Wednesday is full of joy...The source of all sorrow is the illusion that of our selves we are anything but dust." -Thomas Merton

Today is Ash Wednesday and you know what that means!  I am reborn from the ashes and I get to fast, pray, and give wholly of myself!  Lent felt like it was a long time in coming for me.  I think I have been waiting since early February, but God's timing is always right so I was patient but I also prepared.  Let me tell you what I am doing this year.  

Mornings- I will be playing Lent Madness again!  I haven't really participated since 2017.  But I am really in a good mood to read about the Saints and maybe pre-order a mug while I am at it.  I have a feeling Origen will be the winner of the Golden Halo but I still haven't filled out my bracket yet.  

Afternoons- I will be reflecting or reading on recommended books from Lent Ideas from Rachel Held Evans.  I miss her so much.  Her spiritual guidance challenged me and gave me so much to think about.  During one of these Lententides I would love to read all her books, but these are the ones I will be reading this year:

I am looking forward to  all of these books and I keep praying that I am not trying to overdo it.  

Evenings- will be focusing on the A Common Meal Devotional and participating in Eat Rice & Beans during Lent.  This will be brand new for us.  I am not entirely sure how it will go over and we will not really be able to start until tomorrow because of Youth Group at our house on Wednesdays, but I am looking forward to making meal time a little simpler even though I am anticipating some complaining from the family.  

In the in between times I will continue with Busted Halo Lent Calendar and Instalent Photos, which I might only post on Instagram once or twice a week as I have been reflecting on the question "Is it necessary/helpful for me to share the nature of my fast with other or should I keep it to myself?"  I am afraid I may be getting a spirit of pride when it comes to observing Lent.  I am going to keep the photo posts to a minimum on other social media accounts but I will post most of them here for my own personal enjoyment and to keep as memories.  I know I don't have many readers, if any, except myself so I won't have to worry about checking every 5 minutes to see if I got a "like".  

Today I was privileged to be able to receive the ashes at St. Boniface church in Sublimity, OR.  I was not sure I would be able to make it to any type of service this year, not just because of COVID (although the mask restrictions are being lifted, soon, I hear) but  because since the beginning of the school year we open up our home on Wednesday nights to our Youth Group.  But as God so blesses it was a Late Start Wednesday which meant I could go to an early mass before school started at 9:30.  My eyes tear up whenever we say the words "Lord, I am not worth that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."  I know I am not Catholic and technically can not even take communion, but my soul feels these words and knows Jesus is there while I weep and wipe his feet with my tears and dry them with my hair.  I am so blessed and grateful for this yearly journey.  I love how it looks the same but also different every year.  BTW this was the most smudgiest ash I have ever received- it doesn't look like a cross at all!  See above for picture!

Pray for me as I fast today.  It has been a bit more difficult than some years today.  I have been drinking lots of tea and I have had my one meal for the day already: rice and beans with avocado toast so now I pray I will not be tempted by the food for the Youth Group.  

I absolutely love this time of year and can't wait to dive into all that God has to offer.  

Happy Lententide!