Preparing for Lent

Blueberry Pancakes by pabo76

Often, for me, Lent is a season that seems to creep up. There is the frenzy of Christmas and then the struggle to get back into the swing of things after the holidays. Add in Valentine's Day, another set of report cards and a frenzied term at school and often, it's Lent before I know it and I haven't had a chance to even think about how I want to mark it in my life.

I often give something up, although, to be honest, some years, it ends up being more about just doing what I think should be done rather than about a true act of sacrifice to bring me closer to God. This year, I want things to be different.

I have been thinking a lot about what Lent should mean to me. It's been nice that with our new church building, there has been a greater focus on moving into this season. Tonight we had a wonderful pancake supper (I feel like I never have enough time to see friends at church so, as much as anything, it was the company that was great). Tomorrow, we are having an Ash Wednesday service. I haven't ever been to one that I know of - it isn't really a big part of our tradition. I knew that our ministers were planning on doing a lot - they kept the palm branches from Palm Sunday last year and burned them and those will be our ashes for tomorrow. We plan on taking Pk to church tomorrow night, which I am really excited about. I love evening services and I love going to small services during the week - to me, they seem so much for holy - we aren't there because that's what one "should" do on a Sunday, everyone is there because they have made a deliberate choice to be in that place at that time.

I still haven't really answered what Lent will mean for me. I am planning on giving something up - I have become quite addicted to several hot drinks that cost more than they should and that have become something that I really look forward to as an oasis in my day. There's nothing really all that wrong with it but they have become something that borders on an addiction - it really becomes something I feel like I can't live without. Making a change like that is good for me - both for my health and for my state of mind. I want my relief to come from other things and my priorities to be where they should be. I have wondered whether there is a way to bring Lent into our home (as I try to bring in other celebrations) but I haven't come up with anything. I will try to keep the focus on what this season is building to and to set priorities but I am not entirely there in terms of what this should mean.

I'd love any suggestions of how you mark Lent and give it significance.