I consider myself a reasonably good person but come Ash Wednesday and all bets are off.
A surliness spreads over me as ashes are crossed on my forehead. It’s not a love for cleanliness, it’s the expectation that I should work harder at being kind. That I should give up more, fast, pray more.
I pray constantly through most days, “Please God, just get me through the next minute.” “Lord, please keep me from saying something I shouldn’t.”
Oh, I pray a lot.
They say fasting makes space in you to let God fill you up. I can go a day without eating without too many problems - except during Lent. During Lent my body kicks into survivor-mode and every twenty minutes it demands a feeding. If my body’s demands are not met, my head throbs and this horrid foulness of temper flashes from me and on to those I love most.
Needless to say, I don’t fast during Lent – meatless Wednesdays and Fridays are a piece of cake, but don’t take my cake away from me.
The good part of Lent is that I soften as the days go by. The cursing while driving lessens, the grazing is kept in check, prayers are less of a plea and more of a mantra, a deepening of thought.
As Easter approaches, I remember why Easter is my favorite holiday, yeah, and it does have something to do with the Cadbury Easter eggs.
A surliness spreads over me as ashes are crossed on my forehead. It’s not a love for cleanliness, it’s the expectation that I should work harder at being kind. That I should give up more, fast, pray more.
I pray constantly through most days, “Please God, just get me through the next minute.” “Lord, please keep me from saying something I shouldn’t.”
Oh, I pray a lot.
They say fasting makes space in you to let God fill you up. I can go a day without eating without too many problems - except during Lent. During Lent my body kicks into survivor-mode and every twenty minutes it demands a feeding. If my body’s demands are not met, my head throbs and this horrid foulness of temper flashes from me and on to those I love most.
Needless to say, I don’t fast during Lent – meatless Wednesdays and Fridays are a piece of cake, but don’t take my cake away from me.
The good part of Lent is that I soften as the days go by. The cursing while driving lessens, the grazing is kept in check, prayers are less of a plea and more of a mantra, a deepening of thought.
As Easter approaches, I remember why Easter is my favorite holiday, yeah, and it does have something to do with the Cadbury Easter eggs.
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