Lent, Resolutions, Catching Up, and Free Download

My poor car

I haven't been able to write a blog post for a few weeks, due to unforeseen circumstances. The first 2 weeks Eleanor and I got colds, and while thankfully hers didn't progress into anything worse, I developed asthmatic bronchitis and had to be on a special cough pill and an inhaler for a few days before it cleared up. By Thursday I was feeling better, getting lots of work done, worked Friday and Saturday nights, but when driving into work (literally seconds away) on Sunday night, someone rear-ended my otherwise empty vehicle, and I've spent a few days recuperating from that. Unfortunately, we are now looking for a new car, while trying to get to all the places that we both have to get to with only one vehicle. So please excuse me that I haven't written a blog post in a few weeks. Between moving and sickness, we were too busy. I do foresee going back to the original schedule of 2-3 times a week, especially as we enter the season of Lent.

Ash Wednesday

Speaking of Lent, Ash Wednesday was only 2 days ago. I had decided to keep my January resolutions, although I wasn't able to keep up with a few of them, and just added on 3 new resolutions, as well as some Lenten resolutions for my spiritual life. To review, my resolutions were: 

1. Motherhood & Marriage: Institute a weekly meeting with my husband to get on the same page; Sort through Eleanor's toys and books, separating them into things for her bedroom, things for the living room, toys to rotate and toys to give away.
2. Homemaking: Related to resolution #3, I'm going to establish routines for our daily life and housekeeping.
3. Personal Health & Wellness: To take care of my mental health, including both medicine, exercise, healthy eating, and possibly therapy.
4. Spiritual: To be more diligent in my morning & evening prayers and daily Rosary; as a side, I'm also going to try to do my spiritual reading for 15 minutes a day, however, it's not a primary goal.
5. Blogging: Blogging on a more regular schedule, aiming for 2-3 times a week.

My whiteboard & booklet

I wasn't able to institute the weekly meeting, and sadly wasn't diligent in my daily prayers; also, between the hurry of moving, dealing with other health issues, and the past 3 weeks worth of my own "stuff", I didn't go through Eleanor's things and only loosely started some daily routines. I'm going to work harder on these, and add only a one more:

1. Weekly blog prayer & Monthly blog intention.

I feel that my blogging schedule has been good, so I'm ready to add on more to this site. Make sure to check in weekly for a new prayer, most probably taken from some feast day of the week, and the monthly blog intentions to be restarted.

As for Lenten resolutions, mine are:

1. To do the practice in the 40 Steps to Easter booklet
2. To abstain from meat on Wednesdays in addition to Fridays
3. To fast every day
4. To save my change to donate to the new seminary project of the SSPX
5. To clean out and re-organize my home, donating what we can to those in need.

Crucifix with the Stations of the Cross

It doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm determined to make a good Lent this year and I know my own limitations. I've abstained from meat on Wednesdays since I was pregnant with my daughter 2 years ago, when I couldn't do the traditional fasting every day, but still fasted on Ash Wednesday (by Good Friday, I had gestational diabetes and couldn't fast). It's a real sacrifice for me to come up with more than one meatless meal a week, but also finding a Wednesday meal that can have meat added on to it for my husband and daughter. I like the 40 steps to Easter booklet, because there's a new thought, practice, and prayer for every day during Lent; I write the next day's step on a whiteboard next to my desk, and it's been reminding me not only of that day's intentions, but also some reminders and my overall Lenten resolutions.

In order to encourage everyone during Lent, I've made a graphic for a computer desktop that you can use as your computer background. I read this quotation from St. John Chrysostom, and thought it appropriate, and something I wanted to be reminded about frequently, so I designed the background for my computer and decided to share it with my readers. If you are going to use it in a blog or  otherwise online, please link back to my blog. Onward and upward!