Thinking Thursday - Lent

Thinkin’ Thursday 

I’ve been thinking about Lent.  It’s my favorite holiday.  OK, I know it’s more a season, a preparatory time as we prepare for Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.  Still, once Ash Wednesday comes and goes, I feel different.  I am not a religious person, but I am a Christian.  

NOTE:  I attend a Catholic church although raised Lutheran, and I find that it doesn’t matter at all where I worship, as long as I am welcome there.  We have found a warm, wonderful congregation that is inclusive and generous with all types and classes of people.  We’ve had all the babies baptized there, and it truly feels like a “church home”.

Anyway, Lent.  In my heart it’s tied so closely to springtime, that I can’t separate them - the thawing, the rebirth of the soil, and the tender new growth all over the place are completely part of my anticipation of Good Friday and Easter.  

This is just my opinion, but I HATE that Good Friday isn’t actually a “holiday”.  Seriously, the miracle of the resurrection wouldn’t exist if Jesus hadn’t taken on all of our sins, issues, problems and damnation. He had every chance to back out, and instead he took the nails, the ridicule, the pain and the sword.  Tell me that THAT’S not really the miracle!

I’ve been working hard to put together an Easter vignette.  It’s hard for me because the bunnies and the candy and the plasticity of what’s out there is bothersome to me, in the same way that the pervasive plastic Santas get on my nerves at Christmas.  I spent a whole lot of time today looking for items that would fit my vision (Thank you, Mom! She watched the kids for 6 HOURS!!!), and came up with remarkably little.  Yes, I could just walk in to the Christian store and load up, but I was discouraged by how little of what is available in the larger arena has anything to do with what I consider to be the real message of the season.  I’ll be working up a few crafty things today and tonight that I can use, and I’ve been poaching scripture and just plain words that I will try to incorporate, too.  Like:

God * Grace * Gratitude

I’ll post some how-tos as soon as I can, and will hopefully have something worth showing in the next couple of days.

Well!  That concludes the homily for today, folks!  I really don’t mean to preach.  Lent just gets me thinkin’,  that’s all.  :)

Oooh, and about that thinkin’ thing...  an old friend has joined the blogosphere as of 

yesterday, and her blog is titled “What’s Theory Thinking??”  When I say old, I’m telling you we met in 1976.  Enough said!  She’s writing about her life, where it’s been and where it might be going.  Please jump on over and give her a look!

Have a great day, everyone!  I’m off to purge the house of, well, crapification!  Time to move some stuff out  :)

xoxo,

Tami