Thoughts on Lent, More or Less

I'll just confess it now.

I'm lousy at Lent.
Much in the same way I'm lousy at New Year's Resolutions, willpower and self discipline.

Which is why my butt is the size it is, my teeth aren't sparkly white and why my bed goes unmade most days.

I've been a Catholic for almost 28 years now, but I would wager a guess that I haven't successfully navigated even one Lenten season having fulfilled my promises.  I blow it every time.

And not because I want to -- I just do.


I have a lot of respect for those who give up dessert, TV, Facebook or coffee for the entire duration of Lent -- good for them -- that must feel fantastic.  But I've found that for me, "giving up" something doesn't seem to draw me closer to Jesus, it just makes me cranky.

So I have adopted a more-or-less attitude about Lent, which seems to work pretty well for me:

Less taking, more giving

Less sitting, more walking

Less coffee, more water

Less complaining, more enjoying

Less spending, more saving

Less hating, more loving

Less TV, more reading

Less talking, more thinking

Less mess, more cleaning

I'm not making any promises about blogging daily (because you know, that's a self-discipline thing) but I am thinking about writing on each of these.  Stay tuned.  

Peace