It's been a whole week since I started this post (basically, since I wrote the title and then closed the laptop lid). But what full week! Somehow, Ash Wednesday (aka this year, the crazy day that ended in much peace), first Friday in Lent (and the first first Friday I remembered to stay meatless for that night's dinner in years), and a long President's Day weekend at home (with a tradition of indoor ice skating planned) seemed busy enough. But why stop there? Life threw in a new car (!), travel planning (aka food prep logistics) for me, viruses almost all around that gave us movie days instead of skating and swimming days, and reconnecting time with old friends. Plus a cardio check up (results pending), new job offers, and more. But Lenten fasting is still on my mind. After removing so much food this year already for EoE, I opted for the first time ever to not give up a food for 40 days. Frankly, there's no particular food that's a crutch/vice right now that doesn't also fill a nutritional need these days. It's weird not to have an answer to the wholy (ha!) Catholic question: "What food did you give up this year?" But it's a bit freeing, too. It allows me to widen my gaze, expand my efforts this Lent. Because Lent's not just about giving up a food. Our priest for the first Sunday in Lent (so, two days ago) is one of my favorite homilists. He happens to be the priest who counseled me and annointed me before my surgery, too, so I have a soft spot for him all around. He is wise beyond his years, humble and caring, and thoughtful and kind and funny. His homily this week was no different: he emphasized the triad of Lenten efforts that aims to bring us all closer to God (however we define God): fasting, alms, and prayer. This year, I'm trying to hold all three, not just fasting, closer to me each day. Fasting Fasting is not just about giving up a single food...or meat on Fridays...etc. That's good, but not the only way. Instead, says Father Rampino, fasting is about choosing not to have something that is ours "by right"---much as Jesus in the desert chose not to have things he could have by right---all of the kingdoms, stones into bread, etc. Fasting, then, is also about giving up something we consider natural but can go without to fill our life in other ways: can we limit our news, our tech time, our favorite comfort? Can we fill those hours with prayer, peacefulness, giving to others, sharing outside our comfort zones instead? This year, I'm fasting from foods more by necessity---choosing to go without instead of using multiple medications to maintain a normal diet. Thinking more broadly about fasting, I'd like to stick to a once-daily media check and have replaced some "by right" choice apps with new ones. My favorite: The Jesuit's Loyola Press Three Minute Retreat, an old favorite, is back on my new phone now. It's a much calmer and thought-provoking default app than Pinterest, Twitter, FaceBook. If priest's messages aren't for you, they have more choices! Speaking From the Heart is a sister (pardon the pun) podcast and blog, for example. Alms Giving for me has often revolved around food, so I am again challenged to rethink my charitable acts. I'm seeing a theme. :) I'm still giving foods to show love and sometimes for support of others, but on a much smaller scale. I mourned that change for some time, but I do see that it's given me time to try new ways of reaching others. Again well outside my homebody comfort zone, but already fulfilling in surprising ways: new friendships, progress toward tangible gifts for friends and strangers alike (in particular efforts to really commit to sending handmade knits to children and groups in need), and more. I hope this Lent to renew an old favorite of mine that I had to give up because of metal allergies: making and donating rosaries and other prayer beads. It's up to me to come to peace with my limitations and make something for others with materials I can use---not to make the most beautiful item, but to make something meaningful and useful that can help others in journeys that are undoubtedly harder than mine. Prayer It's easy to get into prayer ruts, for just about any person, any religion. I tend to slide out of my daily rosary every winter when the days get shorter and the outdoor walks end. Every Lent, I bring back my rosary walk, though (ideally sooner than in years past!). This week's homily reminded us that other things are simply things---niceties; prayer is what we all need. And prayer should strengthen us and others, not just be words to say. This year, I'd like to take my devotions a step further and talk about them more with others. Regardless of established religion, many people have strong faith and devotional practices. This year, because I've reached outside my comfort zone already, I have already found new prayer experiences in surprising places. To enhance my prayer life and hopefully use it toward positive efforts and relationships, I'm introducing two new daily reading experiences to my 40 days, one of which came directly from those surprising places: 1) 40 Ways for 40 Days: A daily text message, with a link to meditations, is a brand new effort from our diocese, which is under the direction of a new Bishop. Bishop Burbidge seems caring, funny, and willing to meet people where they are (so, on tech). He's started a new podcast (!) and initiated this outreach based on messages of Pope Francis, too. It's a great feeling when the text ping isn't a new work deadline but instead is a message of how to encourage love or how to bring more Christ-like mindfulness and awareness to yourself and your actions. 2) 40 Graces for Forgiveness is a thought-provoking, meditative book that's also already calling me to actions that I hope will become past-Lent habits. In addition to daily Scripture and prose, the passages naturally promote journaling, or other reflective comforts, to slow down our days and widen our gaze on the world---our needs, those of others, and more. I had been lucky enough to randomly meet the author, Maria Keffler, at a meeting for our kids' school music program. We both showed up with knitting. :) It turns out that we have a shared love of music, and that we are both writers. Plus, she has an awesome sense of humor! Stop back by the blog after Easter, and you can find my full review of 40 Graces. So far, I'm having a hard time sticking to one passage a day! So, I may have added enough Lenten goals to fill a 40-hour day, 40 times over. But if I keep to even some of them, I'll have learned a lot and hopefully helped a lot. It's not the successful checking off of each item every day that counts; it's the meaning behind it, and the love in the effort, and the getting back up and doing it every day despite "failures" the day before.
2 Comments
Harley
5/11/2022 01:55:46 am
Such a lovely post. So much knowledge! I want to share a company that helped me sort out my community duties and build my club. "Community Club Victoria". https://www.ccv.net.au They understand club needs and provide support and advice to club networks. Once again, thank you.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Hi, I'm Nicole. ABOUT THE BLOG An apothecary is a person or a place. Either one implies healing and relates to pharmacy in its truest sense, as a source of treatment and advice. This blog is my way of uniting my pharmacy training with my efforts to provide a healthy and safe lifestyle for my family. In true apothecary form, I research and prescribe alternative ingredients that work just right in each specific recipe, and I would like to share the results with anyone who needs help making their own family’s kitchen allergy safe and heart healthy. Categories
All
I made the 2017 Top-40 Food Allergy blogs!
|