40 days of Lent - Balance

Happy First day of Spring

Which leads us to today's Lenten Thought:

March 20:  Today is the Spring Equinox, when we have the same amount of darkness and light in the day--a perfect balance.  Think about what's out of balance for you. Pray for the wisdom to put it right.

I am a little out of balance at the moment, but with a hetic life, sometimes it just happens.

Trying to balance home, work and church can get  exhausting.  I will have to pray more on getting balance.  One good thing, I have learned to say no.  I was just actually asked yesterday to organize an event and I said no.  We can only do so much and we need to learn to relax somewhere in amoungst it all. 

Well, this is easier in theory, but like the Lenten Thought says, pray for the wisdom to put it right.

Here are a few other interesting facts about the first day of spring:

• If you were standing on the equator during either the vernal or autumnal equinox, you would see the sun pass directly overhead, the only two times in the year when that is true.
  
• The two equinoxes are also the only times during the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west.
  
• In spring, the Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun, increasing the number of daylight hours and bringing warmer weather that causes plants to bring forth new growth

Well, Happy first day of Spring everyone.  Enjoy the day!  Spring is here! 

40 days of Lent - Getting rid of excess

Today's thought is.....

February 26 - Whatever you have too much of, get rid of some of it today.  This might mean a trip to Goodwill or one less trip to the refrigerator or an apology you need to make.

I wonder.....does this include body fat?

Guess not, but if it did - I was ready to donate it!

When I was laid off a little while ago I  used that time to clean out the closets and get rid of all the excess stuff; and since our church has flea markets twice a year, I use that as an excuse to keep me from becoming a hoarder. 

I have also taken to heart the Lenten thought from February 16 and have been buying one item for the food bank each week - it also had me taking stock of the pantry to see what else I could donate.  But the last part of the thought for today is the most interesting -  "an apology you need to make".  I guess they also want us to clean out our conscience. 

Lent is a good time to get rid of any excess - it is a perfect time to take stock , and this includes all the areas of our lives.  So whether you have too many packs of noodles or too much guilt, it's time to get rid of it.

40 days of Lent-Go Fish?

Today my UCC Lenten Calendar has the following:

February 15 - "Fish on Fridays is a Catholic traditions and not a bad idea. Eating fish twice a week is recommended by the American Heart Association.  Good for your brain, too."

I don't know about you but I certainly could use something for my brain.  

 I found myself researching where fish on Friday started.  There is an old story about a Pope way way back that decided to help a small fishing village by proclaiming one needs to eat fish on Friday.  However the Vactican says there are no records to that effect and that actually fasting is what was suppose to be followed.

According to Wikipedia - The Catholic Church observes the discipline of fasting or abstinence at various times each year, especially during Lent. For Catholics, fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food, which may or may not include abstinence from meat (or another type of food).

According to Christian teaching, Jesus died on a Friday, and his death redeemed a sinful world. People have written of fasting on Friday to commemorate this sacrifice as early as the first century.

Technically, it's the flesh of warmblooded animals that's off limits — an animal "that, in a sense, sacrificed its life for us, if you will," explains Michael Foley, an associate professor at Baylor University and author of Why Do Catholics Eat Fish On Friday? Fish are coldblooded, so they're considered fair game. "If you were inclined to eat a reptile on Friday," Foley says, "you could do that, too."  (Anybody for snake on Friday)

Any way - all this talk of fish takes me to the VBS song:

Today is the day for which I've been waiting
Jesus is a preaching and I going there
I'm packing my lunch it won't be empty.
I'm bringing plenty so that I can share
One basket, two fish and five loaves of barley bread.

We know the story - Jesus feeds the 5000 with just 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread that a young boy brings. A line in the song proclaims

Everyone agreed it was a MIRACLE! - which I love to shout out when singing the song

Miracles are around us everyday - we just don't notice them - just like yesterday's Lenten message which told us to "notice everything, notice ourselves"  today's is notice the miracles.  However small they are, like a flower, a bird flying overhead and especially a baby's cry, these are all small miracles.

The other day I felt like I experienced a miracle.  On my way to work Wednesday I came to a three way stop, I was just ready to make my right turn when I heard or felt "wait" and sure enough here came a car down the street, never saw and never stopped at the stop sign.  I would of been hit in the driver's side of my car.  After I made the turn, I said a small prayer, just simply "thank you God, thanks for that".

Today, be aware of the miracles ....they do happen, and when they do, say thanks.