I did not grow up in a home that celebrated Lent. The denomination I'm affiliated with does not celebrate Lent. Yet I'm intrigued by the concept and the surrounding ritual. Take this statement posted by Sara at Going Jesus:
Wednesday, February 15, 2006:
Whatever useless things these hands have done
It's early yet, but I realized today that I'm really looking forward to Lent. I love the depth of the liturgy in Lent, the way it tries to get us to flip over the rocks and see all the squirmy sightless things that live under there. The challenge is to see them with an understanding of grace, which is what holds the despair at bay. There's a little thrill in facing something squarely and realizing that the opportunity for transformation exists. Watching an old pattern or habit peel away and lose its power is a tiny bite-size Easter, an unexpected place for life to break out. I see it all the time, if I remember to look.
Exactly Sara! Spring nudges cold, hard, frostheaved soil - the Lenten season nudges us past that pretty little Christmas baby tableau (which here in Vermit is still frozen to the ground where it was planted 3 months ago), through some soul tundra, to a time of spiritual thawing and blooming. So this year, I'm celebrating Lent. I'm going to flip over some rocks, hopefully squish some squirmy things, and take my bite-size Easters as grace and joy instead of chocolate.