Lovely Lent

         I was shocked yesterday to realize Palm Sunday was a week away.  Lent is whizzing by, I can't believe it.

         Lent is very dear to me.  It feels so good to detach from little pleasures, to be reminded of the good of enduring this or passing up that, instead of regretting what material or emotional gratification I might have had but didn't.

         In Lent it's easier to remember that the lack of an earthly pleasure that might have been isn't wasted.  It's easier to have peace about choices I make that might make me miss out on something fun, because I know it's Lent, so that's ok to miss out on something.  Better than ok, actually that's good. 

         So I love Lent for itself.  Don't worry, though, I won't miss it, because I love it even more for what it precedes.

         I love how special, right and well-ordered the festivities of Easter seem after 40 days of penance.  I love singing, "The strife is o'er, the battle done!" when it's so tangibly true. The strife of fasting, the battle with chocolate cravings.  Needless to say, these  are nothing to Jesus' real strife and battle he endured on our behalf, what we're actually singing about.  No, I don't have real strife and I don't fight battles, during Lent or anytime.  I don't know the meaning of suffering.  But in my weakness, it seems like I've endured a little something for Christ during Lent.  That's a beautiful thing.