Lent

On Tuesday after Women's Bible Study, I sipped on some Mickey D's Sweet Tea while Avery and I wandered around the auditorium refilling the encouragement cards. (Side note: If Tim asks you to use an encouragement card for anything besides a note of encouragement, try to share with a neighbor!) I didn't remember that it would be my last sweet tea for quite a while.

You see, I decided that for Lent, I would give up soft drinks -- all of 'em: tea, Coke, juice . . . everything but water. Ouch! I've given up Cokes for Lent the last few years and managed to survive. Those of you who know me know that my mouth waters at the sound of an aluminum can being opened. I'm not Catholic, but I think it's important to give something up for a season to commemorate Jesus' withdrawal to the wilderness. It's a time of contemplation, reflection, and repentance.

Already, I feel better. I've only been drinking water. My energy level is up. My joints feel good. I even survived a challenging hour of Kickboxing with Joy at the Y this morning. (Thanks Amy!)

As I've been learning more about Lent, I've found out that it originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism.

Not many churches still observe Lent. In the 16th century, many Anabaptists discarded Christian holy days on the theory that they were Roman innovations. Today, we know that they were wrong (as was discovered 300 years later), but it was too late for the groups who had already wiped them from their calendars. So I know it isn't exactly the norm for Christians to observe Lent, but from up here on my soapbox, I'd just like to recommend that you use the next 39 days to reflect on what Christ did for us. Wow! Okay, I'm stepping down now.

On a completely different note, Avery had an eye exam today. It was with the InfantSee program at Donelson Eye Care. Nothing is wrong with her, but since it's a free program, I thought I'd make sure Avery's eyes were healthy. She loved watching the little flashlight and playing with the toys, but she was NOT a fan of having drops put in her eyes or being held down. When it was all said and done, though, the worst part was afterward when she realized that she couldn't see very well up close due to the pupil dilation. I hate that part, too.