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.