Lent is very late this year. I'm ready for it. I actually started some of my Lenten plans already because I just couldn't wait. I got this book last week and there was no way I was going to wait until next Wednesday to start reading it, it is so beautiful! Also I am knee deep in cleaning out. This process seems to never end around here. Last week Jonathan and I took 9 bags to Goodwill and yesterday I easily filled 5 more out of Jake's room. When Lent officially starts, I will probably be able to be down to getting rid of one bag a day like this challenge from last year. Where did we get all this stuff from?! I'm tired of stuff!! One of my all time favorite speakers, Matthew Kelly has a quote about how we were made to love people and use things, but so often people love things and use people. Here's my dilemma. I know I love people more than things. My challenge is getting rid of THINGS that were given to us by PEOPLE we love! Especially relatives who have passed away. Sometimes I just close my eyes and throw the Moosehead Lake shirt in the donation bag. Other times I think, I really need to keep this Valentine card. Help me, I'm getting buried over here! I pride myself on being frugal, this is another problem. Random playing cards, buttons, marbles, crayons (and more and more crayons!), not to mention aluminum pie tins, it seems inappropriate to throw this stuff away. Saving them is not very appropriate either...ugh! I imagine we'll get to Easter with still more than we'll ever need or use in this house, but like I've said before, I'm a work in progress. So besides the reading for spiritual growth and trying to rid the house of everything that doesn't breathe, I am also prayerfully considering giving up chocolate for Lent. I've never done this before. I'd been thinking over possibilites like no sweets, but then realized I'd quickly rationalize my way out of that one. Chocolate chip pancakes, scones, and banana bread are BREAKFASTS not SWEETS. I could see myself going down the slippery slope long before it started. Then Madi mentioned she was thinking about giving up chocolate. We could do this together. Of course it will basically mean the whole family giving up chocolate because we really couldn't have it in the house. This would mean hot chocolate and dark chocolate peanut butter too, everything with the word chocolate in it. It would not mean peanut butter cookies or cinnamon chip scones or lemon bars or or or... Again, I am merely a work in progress.
Matthew Kelly, who I just mentioned, also speaks often of the genius of the Catholic Church. This genius was blatently obvious to me on Sunday morning. After a 14 hour day of performing Saturday (parade at 9 am followed by two performances of Phantom), Jonathan was in no shape to go to Mass at 9:30 am on Sunday. For one thing he was fighting a cold (or allergies) and had taken Benadryl at midnight, he was not only coughing and sniffly but in a serious Benadryl fog. He had a commitment to be in the last show at 12:30 followed by his commitment to run sound for another show in the evening. It would be another long day (thankfully the last really long one on the calendar). My mothering instinct told him he could stay home and go back to sleep. He did, and slept until I called him to get up at 11:45! He needed it badly, God understood! Not only did He understand, He hit me over the head with understanding!! Because now here I was, leaving my first baby at home while the rest of us went to church. Worrying if he would be alright, worrying if I'd done the right thing, worrying that maybe it wasn't just the Benadryl and he was coming down with mono or something. Worrying Worrying Worrying!! What was Sunday's Gospel? Matthew:
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
Just what I needed. Now maybe I'm thinking I might also be able to give up worrying for Lent. If I can do chocolate, trusting should be a piece of (vanilla) cake!
5 comments:
Hmmm...Uncluttering! such a hard concept for me! Every time I THINK I am getting some where, stuff seems to appear from nowhere! And yet, life is so simpler with less!! *sigh!*
You'll never give up worrying - you are a mom ;) I know, I need to encourage you instead of making sarcastic remarks so here goes. Whenever I find myself worrying I pray instead, so if worrying leads to prayer, then I say, worry away! I do love that reading.
It would be soooo much easier for me to give up chocolate than worrying. Maybe if I ate more chocolate, I would worry less. :)
I really need to work on that worry thing, too. I need to always remember there is a big plan than my own. As far as the chocolate/sweets thing…..I have done this multiple times and will probably give up sweets again this year. I always feel very really accomplished come Easter…and the Peeps taste extra tasty, too.
Oh boy can I relate to all of this. I am also giving up chocolate. It's going to be really, really hard for me. I'm a true addict and I'm not saying that with a chuckle. A major sacrifice for me.
We already talked about it but I have to say again . . wasn't that homily THE BEST!?
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