Wrapping Up Lent

 


For me this has been a strange Lent.  I almost called it "unholy" but I didn't think that was quite right.  Perhaps I should call it the semi-observant Lent or the Bfth's inactive Lent.  Honestly, there really isn't a right way to describe it.

As always I went into the season with the best of intentions.  I find Lent to be a time of reflection and I felt that I needed that.  It didn't happen.  

Let's just say this Lent has been weird.  Most Sundays I was unable to physically attend church services.  Instead I spent a lot of Sundays (and Saturdays) on the Garden State Parkway going to see my father, who has been in and out of the hospital and is currently in a recovering in a rehabilitation facility.  (I was hoping he'd be well enough/strong enough to go back home by Easter, but that isn't going to happen.  I'm now focused on getting him back by the first week in May.)  It wasn't what I was planning or expecting.  (When is ANYTHING?)

Furthermore, I didn't even go to church on Palm Sunday!   For me this was a biggie and if the Fest had not been in Jersey City I might have driven back and forth.  (I had done that before when it was held in the crappy and run down now defunct Crown Plaza in Secaucus.)  While I did attend a Monday evening community service, I don't know if I'll make a Maundy Thursday service tonight or Good Friday midday service.  (I have only missed one Good Friday service in "recent" memory and that was when my son was an infant and the social worker rescheduled our home visit without telling us!)

So why would I miss tonight?  Well, tonight we are having a "faux" Easter dinner.  "But Bfth!" you say, "It’s THURSDAY!  It's not Easter yet!"  And you'd be right.  However, tomorrow my son is having oral surgery (which is also why I may miss the Good Friday service) and I don't know how he and his mouth are going to feel over the next couple of days, so the lamb is cooking as we speak.  

Going off topic (as I often do), lamb has always been expensive, but WOW!  Leg of lamb has been the go to Easter meal for a long time.  I was ready to bite the bullet this morning, but the cost and the size stopped me.  (What are they feeding them?  Their legs are longer and bigger than mine!)  So it'll be shanks (which are still pretty costly) instead of a leg.  And tonight instead of Sunday.

I'll admit that by moving Easter dinner up and buying lots of soft foods (there is a LOT of applesauce in my pantry) that my son's pain (and swelling) will be minimal.  (Kind of like bringing an umbrella so that it doesn't rain.) Spring break starts tomorrow and while we are not going anywhere or doing anything, I'd like him to be able to at least enjoy his free time.

Which brings me back to Lent.  Where did it go?  Usually the weeks of Lent are slow, but this year I couldn't keep up.  I also couldn't keep all of my "promises" of giving up.  While I have managed to avoid chocolate completely, my vow of no alcohol has been broken several times.  In the past I would have been my strict with myself; this year that wasn't the case.  For better or worse, I cut myself some slack.

So what did I learn this Lent?  To expect the unexpected and go with it.  (Isn't that the case of all of life?)  To be kind to other and to let other be kind to me.  (I know I have relied HEAVILY on my husband for support over the past 40+ days and I don't expect my need for that to end on Easter Sunday.)  And finally, for me, prayer can be simply a singing a song/hymn in my head.  (I'm not ready to sing out loud on the bus quite yet.)

If you observe Lent, what did you learn?  If you share, perhaps I can learn from you.  That would be a blessing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more