Lent?

So, in case you do no know me, yes, I am Catholic. I chose to go through confirmation when I was in high school and was not forced into being Catholic. Typically people think that I was forced into it because I was raised that way and such, but nope, my decision. Now, am I a perfect Catholic, no, but then again, I know know anyone who is really even a perfect Christian in general; nobody is perfect at anything. So, as many people know, there were tons of Mardi Gras celebrations this weekend leading up to Fat Tuesday. For those who have never put two and two together, Mardi Gras is kind of a Catholic holiday... I do not think it is really openly claimed, but it was a way to get all the eating and partying out of your system before Lent began. Now it is just a huge party and feast. So, Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent; 40 days of fasting.

Not necessarily fasting in the old school sense where you do not eat anything, but doing something that will bring you closer to God. This could be giving up a bad habit or a vice (often candy or soda), or go in the opposite direction and be DOing something. One year I knitted squares to send to Africa giving up some of my time to do it and doing something to help others all at once. I did not get them sent by Easter, but shortly after the campus housing people did an "event" to learn how to knit and were collecting squares to send the the exact same organization so I gave the squares to them.

I digress..
So I began to think of what to do for Lent. I already have given up quite a bit of stuff this year for my resolutions and it is not like I can just say I will give up candy or soda, I already gave up sugar! So I thought about doing something like volunteering or adding in something I could do to help others. The problem with that is I do not have any time. I just started my cashiering job and am substituting with my EcoMomTeam thing on the side. Even the spare time I do have, I cannot guarantee I will have it next week. My schedule changes daily and I am not set up in a work schedule yet. So I think I am going to work on the being a not so perfect Catholic. Step one, go to church when I am supposed to. So, starting on Ash Wednesday I am going to try my hardest to make it to church on the holy days of obligation and on the weekends.