Back in February, we had a community conversation about Lent and any traditions we had, such as doing daily devotions or giving something up and our thoughts about it. I have never "given something up" for Lent, because I always thought it just seemed shallow and didn't really have anything to do with preparing for Easter as far as I could tell. For the last few years, I've tried to do something deeper: stop a harmful behavior, adopt a practice or habit to make my life reflect my ideals... I was struggling to come up with something concrete to do this year, until I went to Chestnut Hill UMC the first Sunday of Lent. They had us reflect on different aspects of our life (self-care, spirituality, relationships, justice, creativity, and gifts/talents) and choose something. Here's what I came up with:
1) morning reflection/prayer
2) relationships w/community members
3) involvement in neighborhood/community
4) weekly mandalas
5) begin a garden
6) more intentionality about choices that affect the environment
7) improve how I relate to the kids, teens, and Cindy at work
8) breathe and notice
I have to say, I haven't done morning reflections every day, I haven't made a single Mandala yet, and I haven't put enough effort into #2. I've been thinking a lot about #s 3 and 5 -- and I checked out some gardening books from the library! I think I've been making improvements in all the other areas... #8 is harder than it sounds, but it's the one that has the biggest effect on my day. I've got 3 weeks left, let's see how much more progress I can make!
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