We are a little over a week away from Lent. I've started some preparations, but, as always, there is so much to do and not nearly enough time.
The children and I have begun discussing what they are going to 'give up'. As usual, we always get the child who says, "I'm giving up cleaning my room." This year it was Bella. I just smile because the little ones don't know that this joke is probably centuries old.
After all the giggling dies down, we talk about the reasons why we give things up. Does God really need us to give up candy or computer time? Eventually, through questioning, I can pull out the answer that, no, God does not need us to give up these things, WE need us to give up these things, these creatures. Because drawing closer to God means pulling further away from the world. By mortifying the flesh, we become stronger and better able to choose God's Will in our lives. I try to guide them to give up something that hurts a little. Next week they will write it down on a piece of paper and place it near the crucifix... a symbol of their little gift to Our Lord.
For the little ones, a really great Lenten tradition is to make a crown of thorns with salt dough and toothpicks. As little sacrifices are made, one of the thorns is removed from the crown. The goal is to have removed all the thorns by Holy Thursday. We'll be working on that project toward the end of the week and I'll try to post pictures and a recipe.
Also on my 'to do' list is to compose a Lenten idea plan for meals. On most evenings of the rest of the year, our meal consists of a soup course, main course, cheese course and on feast days, an occasional dessert. During Lent, there will be only one course and I will focus on soups, bread and cheese. It is always hard for me to not only cut back on the variety in eating, but also the variety in the cooking. One of my pleasures in life is creativity in the kitchen. Giving up the creative for the mundane will be one of my mortifications.
