Wow.... Honey and I are such party goers that we absolutely, completely forgot all about Mardi Gras.....
See how wild and zany we are???
My family, having a Protestant background, never participated in Lent. Still, there was more awareness that if the Christmas season was a promise given, the celebration of Easter, particularly Palm Sunday through Easter itself, was the fulfilment of the Promise by the Divine through the actions of Jesus. I recall as a child picking up on the energy of the congregation Palm Sunday. If Christmas was about love and joy and giving, then Easter picked up on faith, and peace and hope.
Honey's family started off as Cathlic, but there came a point where they broke off and went their own way. Mom C has told me stories from her childhood where the nuns and priest scared her so bad that she feared falling asleep, terrified that if she died during the night, she was going straight to hell. In some ways, after hearing both of their tales, I do have a better understanding of why they have turned to more Wiccan and Native American beliefs.
One year, Honey decided to participate in Lent. He gave up all sweets for the 40 days of Lent. It was hard for him because there were family birthdays with cake and ice cream, and he does have a sweet tooth during the later part of winter....
He was so happy to see Easter morning and could sink his teeth into a pastery. He said he was glad that he did it, but he hasn't done it since.
I've often wondered if the Divine came to me and said, "MacKenzie, guess what? You're participating in Lent this year... make your choice of what you're giving up" what I would do? Now, I admit, I had to go hunting on the internet for some ideas....
Could I give up say, chocolate for 40 days? wow...toughie. I COULD, I think, but I admit, I'm glad I don't have to.
Could I give up meat for 40 days? Yeah... no problem there.
Could I give up my books for 40 days? ummmm... actually, I don't think so... well, I don't know but boy, I would go through some serious Reading Withdrawals. It certainly wouldn't go well.
Could I give up my music? No... I don't think so. I would probably go insane.
Could I give up sex? ah...um.... er... Let's skip ahead to the next one.
Could I give up any and all physical contact with everyone (Hugs, kisses, running hands through hair, gentle pat on the arm)? Well, suddenly giving up sex doesn't seem so bad.
What if you couldn't smile for the 40 days of Lent? yikes....
Give up TV for 40 days? No problem.
OH my... giving up the Internet for 40 days? gulp, hold down slight panic attack, shudder at the thought. Tell the hospital to put a hold on a straight jacket for me.
Give up swearing for 40 days? Interesting although for me, I generally don't swear except for the occasional bloody hell! which, in America isn't so bad, although said in England, it ranks right up there as one of worse ones....
Ah! Give up your free time for a certain charity or volunteer work? If it were just me, I think I might like to give that one a try. Am I making motherhood an excuse? I don't know, but I wouldn't want my actions to affect my family. Although it's just 40 days, after all. Would my girls suffer if I don't have any breathing room to just sit and veg for a bit? I'm certainly not Wonder Woman and relish those few moments to kick start my energy for the following day. What if it was doing something here at home like stuffing so many envelopes for an upcoming charity event or some such thing? Maybe driving for the elderly Meals for Me program that is around here? That I think I probably could do, but is that really a sacrifice? Is that really relating to the suffering that Jesus put his own self through? (as I understand it, that's what Lent is partly about...) Question indeed.
Drink nothing but water for the next 40 days? No coffee, tea, hot chocolate, wine, juice... nothing for liquids but water. THAT would be extremely difficult for me and quite a challenge. I mean, I've already had coffee and juice this morning. It's a habit and something that I would greatly miss if taken away.
From what I understand about Lent, (which again, is limited although I do find the whole thing fascinating for whatever reason... maybe because it was not part of my religious upbringing) not only is it about feeling the sacrifice that the Divine made for us, but it's also about focusing on how to find a closer relationship to the Divine. What about doubling the time you spend in meditation, devotions or simply prayer? You aren't taking away from your life, but adding to it....
And those are my thoughts today.
Cheers! ~MacKenzie
All three girls seem rather out of sorts with each other and tempers are definitely on the short side today. My shoulder has been rather tender for the last few days and this morning when I woke up it had that burning, fiery sensation to it moving on towards the numb tingling, back to burning. I'm not overly impressed. I had super important errands that needed to be done today that, due these in home circumstances, I had to pass off to Honey. And of course there is the let down of the Superbowl.....
