At Considerable Cost

My Serious Diet, as compared to my other half-hearted 'I'm just going to eat better' attempts over the past few years, is going on week five now.   I didn't weigh during the first two weeks, determined that I would not let my life be ruled by a scale.   I finally gave in on week three, though.   My latest weigh-in today showed I've lost 14 lbs. since I first weighed .    Yay, me!   I'm hoping I'll soon be able to wear my wedding bands again.   On my finger.   Otherwise, that sentence may not make perfect sense and reminds me of a great Designing Women moment (as do most things): It's interesting to diet during Lent.   I've never dieted during a real observance of Lent before.   It means none of my Lenten practices involve giving up any kind of food product beyond those requirements of Fridays, Ash Wednesday, and Good Friday.   I'm already eating the minimum number of calorie...

Each year at midnight, the hour which begins Ash Wednesday, this is the scene in the French Quarter.   Behind the last of the parades and revelers comes mounted policemen who line up across the entire street to sweep the crowds away.   They are followed by clean-up crews and street-sweepers so that by the time the sun casts her first rays on the Crescent City on Ash Wednesday, all but the smallest signs of the season's excess and sometimes, debauchery, have disappeared. There's something so hopeful, so decent about this physical, concrete image.   Even in a city that prides itself on good times, there is still some respect and some solemnity left.   How many more tourist dollars could they bring in if they just allowed the party to continue?   Maybe turn the French Quarter into an amusement park where it's Mardi Gras all year?   But no, the streets are swept and the party people are sent home to assess their damages, regro...

I was one of those people who woke up Monday morning and thought there was a mistake on my Facebook news feed.   A mistake or a joke.   The Pope, our beloved Papa Benedict XVI, had resigned?!   My nine-year-old was still snuggled up beside me in bed, where she's been for several nights due to fever and other symptoms upon which I needed to keep a close watch.   I said aloud, as I read, "The pope resigned this morning."   "Can he do that?" was her response.   "If he 's doing it, that means he certainly can," I replied.        There are few mortal individuals who have ever understood what a pope can or cannot do--or most topics related to the Church and theology-- as well as the brilliant Benedict XVI.   Later, came the flood of posts on social media about the other popes in history who have abdicated and the licit nature of the act according to Canon Law.   I'm ...

I think we'll all be a little tired come Saturday! Monday : News that we're losing our Papa Benedict XVI as he announces his abdication. Tuesday : Laissez les bon temps rouler because it's Fat Tuesday, cher! Wednesday : Penance and Fasting on Ash Wednesday as Lent begins Thursday : Celebrate because it's St. Valentine's Day! Friday : Penance and Fasting for the first Friday of Lent

Hand-carved table-top nativity scenes, life-sized nativities, Christmas trees aglow, the wonder of children's faces: they are all images brought to mind during this holy season and I love them all.   When I think about the image that stays with me, that links my childhood to adulthood and never fails to prompt contemplation, it is an unlikely scene that stands out from the rest.    Growing up in Louisiana, I saw extreme poverty in rural areas.   On the farm next to ours, there lived an elderly man who was called, "Preacher."   He worked on the farm and his small home was just beyond our fence.   People passing by would probably refer to his home as a shack and as technical definitions go, they would not be incorrect.   There was one main room which had at its center a free-standing wood stove.   There was no air conditioning in the summertime and Preacher spent most of his spare time on his tiny front porch rather than indoors. Such...

I'm digging my heels in.   I'm crossing my arms and stamping, with fists clinched and screaming, "But I don't wanna!" In my head, that is.   In my head and my heart, this is how I am reacting to the fact that Lent begins next week.   That means only one thing.   I really need the season of penance and preparation this year.   Spiritually and emotionally, the past few months have hit me hard.   I can't explain why, exactly, but I'm bruised and broken and part of me does long for Lent, even though the majority of me seems to be in complete rebellion.   I'm already on a diet, so the food-related obligations of Lent don't concern me.   It's the discipline of Lent against which I rebel.   "Mine, mine, mine!" my childish heart within me yells, holding fiercely to my time, my occupations of thought and hands, and my hurts. Thankfully, I know from experience that God is waiting for me in this app...

Last year was my first time to decorate for the season of Lent.   I felt like we needed a visual reminder of the season and its purpose.   I was inspired by the beautiful Lenten decorations at our church and my favorite psalm of the liturgical year.  Mardi Gras mantle: bright and cheery during the dreary weather of Jan. and Feb. Very noticeable change for the kids when they woke up on Ash Wed. and found the mantle changed to this.   I bought a grapevine wreath and unwrapped it.   The empty vessels came from Hobby Lobby and had flat sides for easy display. My favorite psalm to sing in church.   Although I miss the Gloria, this always speaks to my soul.  This is the Good Friday mantle, with the plaque  showing Jesus carrying the cross.   I didn't take pictures of the rest, but we have one for Holy Thursday and the Last Supper and then a Resurrection one for Easter morning.   On the Easter Vi...

I have not been this excited about an approaching Lenten season since 2003, right before we found out we were expecting Emmeline.   Since then, it seems I've either been pregnant or nursing, so the food-related aspects of Lent weren't as much a part of the observances.   That seems to affect the whole season, no matter what else I might have given up or added.   I'm sure it's because I pushed the boundaries by including foods like chocolate that were not necessary to a healthy diet for pregnancy and nursing. This year, our family will be going through unavoidable chaos and activity during Lent, but we are anxious to make this a fruitful time for our family.   We've had a rough year.   A rough six years, but the last year seemed particularly rough.   When I told my friend Amber that I didn't understand why it felt much worse, she reminded me that the events of the previous five years unfolded over that time, but last year we...