40 words of lent 2014: Day 0

Today is “Fat Tuesday,” and I ate a pazcki. Prune. They’re my favorite. They’re the traditional ones, and they’re not as sweet as the others. (I wish we had a Rudy’s in Michigan.)

Still, it added up to about four bazillion calories.

It’s a filling for the spilling for the filling.

I plan to start working off that fat tomorrow when I dust off my exercise bike. While I’m doing that, I’ll  begin to gorge on an audio version of the New Testament. Because I’m carving out 40 minutes a day to answer Margaret Feinberg’s 40-Day #LentChallenge.

 

Here’s what else I’m doing for Lent–besides giving this up.

I said goodbye to God in the Yard three years ago in May. It took me eight months to work my way through this book by L.L. Barkat. And it worked deep things in me as I stilled myself in the yard “for the rest of me.” My mom sent me a pink sweatshirt to wear so I wouldn’t have to bundle up in a Dora blanket on cool mornings. This book changed my life, and maybe it and the exercises Laura suggested strengthened me for what the rest of the year would bring. Who could know that my mom, who journeyed with me through my posts, would be diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and die before the year ended?

At any rate, I’ve gotten away from the yard, and so during Lent I’m committing to sitting in my pink sweatshirt, stilled for 40 minutes–although if the weather stays cold, I may be forced to walk a bit to keep the blood flowing, so still doesn’t turn to frozen.

One more thing. And I don’t know if I can follow through. But here’s the plan. There’s so much going on as we move into this season of reflection and preparation–Bible readings and Lenten devotionals and spring breaks and sacrifice, I want to give you a little white space here. A quiet place to breathe and reflect.

So I’m just going to offer you a few words a day–40 to be exact. They might be my words. They might be someone else’s words. They might be a reflection of that day’s Bible reading. I might have so many words, you’ll need to come back for a “to be continued” post. I’m doing this on an impulse. I’m not exactly sure how it will work. Or if it will work. Or if I can even do it. But I’m going to try. And any text on a graphic is gravy. 🙂

I guess you could call this a sacrifice of words.

So I’ll see you here tomorrow for just 40 words of Lent.

Deep breath.

In the stillness,

Sandy