Friday, April 11, 2014

The Last Day of Great Lent 2014

Whew!!
We made it!!! 
*
The last day of Great Lent... 


I heard a great set of talks recently*
and was reminded again of how we can't
'do' Great Lent or in other words,
we always fall short of what we could have done in Lent
or, move over, we can't do it.
If one thinks they had a "successful" Lent,
the suggestion is that they start over again... 
*
We are weak.
We need's God's mercy.
He alone can give us the fruit that we desire to give to Christ
and the end of Lent.
*
Always reassuring... 
*
Steps towards a bit 'better' can be made, however,
and, moreover, continued.
Simple ones I find are best.
I have been, as I am guessing many are, struggling 
with how much technology takes up my time,
to the point that I had to fully admit that it was not just taking up time,
it was taking over my life and that a full ADDICTION 
to the distraction of the Internet was upon me.
What really drove it home to me, or confirmed this 
was a homily on technology and enslavement.*
I knew I had to figure out better ways...
*
It's going to take a long time before I know what I can do.
I think of going off Facebook forever and then
a dear friend's child, who I am knitting the 
above blanket, gets ill and if I don't go on FB to her 
Mother's page, I won't know what is going on.
So I go there but only there and then am off.
I hope to continue this.
*
Blogs are another story for me. 
I love them.
Still figuring that out.
I am not leaving the blog world here or else where.
But how to balance my time, it's a never ending struggle.
*
I learned one thing though:
If I turn off my wifi and data on my smart phone before
evening prayers and don't turn it on until after morning
prayers and breakfast,
then I will not so easily weaken in my resolve to not check
email before morning prayers.
*
Everyone is going to have to find their own ways, 
but this is something I have been trying to learn to better
balance this Lent.


I am going to seek to keep reading some of my 
Lenten reading that I am not finished with yet.
A lot of realism is needed in our life,
as in being realistic:
what we can really do, not what we wish we can do.
It takes thought, prayer and at times a good night sleep
and remembering to drink lots of water 
and perhaps a long walk or a short walk/s
to realize what is doable, what we can limit,
what is really going on, etc.
*
I have been aware of this workshop going on
on burnout by, from what I gathered, a 
quite well known Catholic
and while I could not be part of it much this Lent,
I really wanted to know more about burnout 
and what it has looked like for woman of our time
and also for mothers, of whom I have many friends
who are in the young-kid stage.
So I will reading and pondering these words, as I joined recently
to be able to save the PDFs and essays on these topics.
*
It's going to be a busy time for me here,
in the next while with packing (thank God I will have help),
the move, the unpacking and settling into a new home
with Mr. Husband.
Thank God our parents DV (Lord willing)
can come and help.... 
*
I am going to be glad to have the PDFs to read on 
how to be restored after huge things like a move
and am just going to have to take it one day at a time...
*
Blessed last day of Lent everyone!
I am hoping to make this chili this afternoon!
Blessed Holy Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday weekend 
to you all!! 


*if any one wants to hear these talks/homilies,
email me and I will pass the links on to you.

3 comments:

Elizabeth @ The Garden Window said...

May your Holy Week be true blessing to you and Mr Husband. Love to Cleo too :-)

Heather L. said...

Were those the talks that Ginny mentioned on her blog? I was interested in them but I thought there was a cost?

elizabeth said...

Yes, Heather, they were the ones Ginny mentioned. I paid for it so I can have them (well until they take them down anyway; the PDFs I have saved to my computer...)