Adios, sweets!
Today is Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent (and baseball season, if you're a Cardinals fan). This year, I decided to give up sweets. All of them. I wanted a challenge and I think I have one ahead of me. I have done chocolate lots of times in the past but that's too easy; one year I did facebook which was way harder than chocolate, but I use that as a communication tool for my job entirely too much to function without it for 40 days. So sweets it is. Last night Chris and his mom and I went to Baskin Robbins for $1 scoop night and I had some super-rich chocolatey flavor; no more until Easter! I have a feeling I will have to make some judgement calls on what exactly counts as a sweet and what doesn't, but I'll deal with those as they come up I guess.
I know I am not Catholic and I don't HAVE to give something up for Lent, but I feel like it helps me focus my attention so much more on the wonderful and yet bittersweet season of the church year that is ahead of us. As I understand the tradition, the point is to deny yourself something as a small reminder of what God had to give up (His only Son) on our behalf, and to think about what that means every time you crave what you decided to give up.
San Pablo always has a bilingual Ash Wednesday service/dinner (only they make these shrimp fritter things that I think you have to be a true blooded Mexican to enjoy...), but this year we are going to have weekly Lenten services as well. Weekly dinners are still a giant question mark, I guess the rest of the church council and I can figure that out at our next meeting since I am the newly elected secretary!
Until next time, blessings!
I know I am not Catholic and I don't HAVE to give something up for Lent, but I feel like it helps me focus my attention so much more on the wonderful and yet bittersweet season of the church year that is ahead of us. As I understand the tradition, the point is to deny yourself something as a small reminder of what God had to give up (His only Son) on our behalf, and to think about what that means every time you crave what you decided to give up.
San Pablo always has a bilingual Ash Wednesday service/dinner (only they make these shrimp fritter things that I think you have to be a true blooded Mexican to enjoy...), but this year we are going to have weekly Lenten services as well. Weekly dinners are still a giant question mark, I guess the rest of the church council and I can figure that out at our next meeting since I am the newly elected secretary!
Until next time, blessings!
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