Sick has come to visit us again. He just likes me I guess. So in addition to getting ready for Lent, marking Ash Wednesday in our home and preparing for St. Valentine’s day I’ve been walking around pouting. Frustrated that I can’t seem to get healthy and whining about my achy body, drippy nose and pressure cooker head.
But for my memory I wanted to jot down what I did manage to get done today for Ash Wednesday. We were planning on attending a prayer breakfast and our evening service, but feeling as I do, I should NOT be around anyone, so those plans were out. However I did get some things out on our liturgical table, talk to the babies about what Lent is and make a Lenty supper.
I thought serving Black Beans would be a good meal for Ash Wednesday. If you’ve ever seen a baby face after they’ve indulged themselves with these beans you’ll know why I thought that. You can’t help but think they’ve gotten out the back door and feasted on dirt. Or they’re growing a beard.
So, Black Bean soup and pretzels to remind us of prayer for supper tonight. And when the girls asked for dessert I told them we’d do without. After all, tomorrow is a “feast day”, there will be plenty of “dessert” then. The feast is always sweeter after the fast. They weren’t happy.
We also put away our Alleluias today, we won’t hear it again until Easter.
And I put up a nice countdown calendar I found at Hobby Lobby after Easter last year. Each day we open a door to reveal a verse and a Lenten symbol.
I was surprised that today symbol was… a pretzel!
“And through these days of penitence,
And through Thy passiontide,
Yea, evermore in life and death,
Jesus, with us abide.
Abide with us, that so, this life
Of suffering over past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last.”
From Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Sorry you are sick again; you do accomplish a lot while you are under the weather though! “If winter comes, surely spring cannot be far away…”