Category Archives: My Lenten Journey

Seek Forgiveness

Seek Forgiveness

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this one would certainly qualify. I remember this moment as though it happened yesterday.  This particular permutation of the daily squabbles among my three munchkins was not the norm.  Patrick (my peace maker) was rarely the villain on the scene.

My two bookends, Rob and Peter, maybe..  :)

But I can assure you that minutes after this photo frame the three of them were playing nicely and had forgotten about the theft of the baby doll. Why would they continue to fight when they have one another to play with?  Forgive and forget.  So easy at this age.

This same scene in 20 years could potentially have a different outcome.  You betray me or take something that belongs to me and it may be very difficult for me to forgive you.

Because I am stubborn.  Because I have this thing called pride.  Because I don’t respect the history we have had together and am not willing to put aside my “rightness” in order to mend the relationship and find a way to move on from here.  Or perhaps I just don’t know how to do it.

How do we seek forgiveness?

Have a contrite heart.  Be vulnerable.  Put pride aside.  Admit to being wrong, or stubborn, or cross, or oversensitive.  Then ask for forgiveness.

Allow God’s grace and mercy to work their magic.  And begin anew.

 

 

Live Simply

Live Simply

This picture of my son, Peter, in our back yard in Whittier, California, takes me back to a time when life was much simpler.  Our morning ritual went something like this…

Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, and then a tour of the vegetable garden to see what was newly sprouting and/or ready for harvest.

On this beautiful morning Peter uprooted a bumper crop of radishes and held them in awe and wonder only capable of a four year old reveling in his stay-at-home mom’s undivided attention. (Judging by Peter’s age I’m guessing Robert and Patrick were tucked neatly away at school for the day.)

The weed infested grass in the foreground wouldn’t win any awards I can guarantee you!  And our front yard was no different being that it was the designated area for the neighborhood slip and slide on hot afternoons.

But we were oblivious to the imperfections.  Life was good and we didn’t care what the neighbors thought. After all.. their kids were at our house playing and they were most likely home drinking ice tea and watching Phil Donohue!

During this lenten season I want to live more simply.  Drive less.  Spend less. Worry less.  Pray more while lying in Savasana pose after hot yoga class.  And find more joy in little things.  A phone call from my brother Mickey.  An impromptu lunch with a good friend.  An early morning stroll with a cup of black coffee (sans little boys, sadly) in my Morgan Hill garden to see what’s newly sprouting and/or ready for harvest.

 

Remember who loves you, baby!

Remember who loves you, baby!

Does this look familiar? 

No..  It’s not the collection for the pagan babies.  That was SO yesterday.  It’s been cleaned up and repackaged in a more politically savvy wrapper.  It’s Operation Rice Bowl.

The premise is the same…

Have a simple meal or pass up the venti nonfat vanilla soy decaf latte and deposit the money you save into this little box.   Write a check at the end of Lent to Catholic Relief Services. This organization supports programs all over the world in an effort to alleviate hunger and poverty.  orb.crs.org

And while we’re on the subject..

What happened to all those pagan babies we saved in elementary school?  You know.. the ones we gave up our milk money for?  The ones we were told we could purchase for $5, have baptized, fed and housed and saved from the fires of hell, in order to fulfill our Lenten obligation of almsgiving?

The topic of pagan babies stimulated some interesting posts on Facebook:

Remember naming your pagan baby?  That was the fun part!

We nominated, voted, and named it after our teacher.. always.

Since the girls donated 5-1, it was usually always a girl.

The term “pagan baby” sounds so horrific!  We thought it was so normal in Catholic grade school in the 50’s and 60’s!

I used to give them all my birthday money!

How innocent were we?  What other things did our parents tell us that we bought hook line and sinker?  “Clean your plates because the children are starving in Biafra.” Where is Biafra anyway?  And how will we get my uneaten peas to them? 

If only we could have Googled that to see if they were telling us the truth.

Regardless of how they dished up the message (pun intended), the proof is in the pudding.   If you are reading this blog you probably have more peas on your plate than 925 million people.  There’s also a good chance that you stopped at Starbuck’s this morning and that you will enjoy a satisfying and nourishing dinner tonight.

I’m just sayin’…

Let’s give it up for Lent!

Let’s give it up for Lent!

Ok.. I am sitting here enjoying a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon so I guess I am not giving up red wine for Lent.  Do I really have to give something up?  Why not add something significant.  Why not do something out of my comfort zone.  Something that matters.  Something that makes me uncomfortable or that makes me stray from my neurotic daily routine.

I’ve been toying with the idea of living life with more awareness and intention.  Not multitasking.  Not flitting from here to there.  Not changing the subject mid-conversation.

Living with intention.

So cooking a meal is just cooking a meal.  It’s not talking on the phone and cooking a meal.  It’s not checking my email and cooking.  It’s just cooking.

And reaching for my seat belt after getting into my car is not reaching with one hand and turning on the radio with the other one and checking to see if I have gas and wondering if I need my oil changed.  It’s just reaching for my seat belt.

Calling my step mother and asking how she is doing is not just a task that I can check off my list of things to do but actually a loving and intimate communication with a woman who stepped in and decided to love me and my family even though we aren’t really related.

Are you giving something up for Lent?

Or are you adding something that challenges you, stretches you, makes you stop and think?

 

 

We interrupt this presidential primary campaign mud slinging and propaganda to bring you Ash Wednesday…

We interrupt this presidential primary campaign mud slinging and propaganda to bring you Ash Wednesday…

Yesterday I had some minor surgery on my eye and was forced to take it easy- not something that comes naturally to me.  I watched the news about children freezing to death in Afghanistan and then moved on to the updates of the Republican primary debates with the candidates manipulating every tactic and maneuver to make points with people who are vulnerable to their potential leadership. I then continued where I left off watching Breaking Bad– a series on netflix- the main character, Walter, dying of lung cancer and making moral and ethical decisions based on the short amount of time he has left to live.

I felt vulnerable and anxious watching all this despair, confusion and sadness.

Today I attended the noon liturgy at Mission Santa Clara in order to celebrate Ash Wednesday and receive my ashes.  The message from Fr. Jack Treacy was comforting and refreshingly counterculture.  “Ash Wednesday is the most populated day of the year here at the Mission!  There is a longing in our hearts to re-establish our relationship with God and gain a deeper understanding of our Catholic faith and our commitment to one another in our community.”

Quite a contrast to the latest news reports and who is spending the most money on their campaigns and for what purpose.

As we received our ashes we were reminded  “You are dust and to dust thou shalt return.  Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel.”  What am I doing with my life in this limited time I have on earth?  What am I called to do or be during this lenten season?

I love the liturgies at the Mission Santa Clara.  My friend, Rosemary, plays the clarinet for many of the Masses.  We have been friends for 30 years.  That’s what you call community.  We did music together at St. Mary’s of the Assumption in Whittier, California when we were both newly married.  Life evolved and both our families ended up in Santa Clara County.  Our friendship has grown through many transitions- not always smooth and carefree.  But it’s the commitment to our friendship that is foremost.

My relationship with my Catholicism is not perfect.  I come to receive my ashes.  I accept my mortality and my sinfulness and I long to be a better person and make a difference in the world.  I am called during this Lenten season to be uncomfortable and aware.  To fast, pray and give of myself and my gifts.

I will pay due diligence to my privilege to vote for the future president of my country.

But I find great comfort in knowing that my life has meaning and purpose because of my God.