Lenten Motivation

I came across this great Lenten project for us to use. You can find it HERE on Etsy. It's called Lady Lent and each day of Lent has an item on the calendar...a sort of Lenten To Do list.

This is what it looks like. This is last year's version...but you get the idea. We purchased the file and then printed it out. I hung it on the refrigerator so we can all see it.

So far the kids are excited each day to see what the calendar offers. Some of the day's activities so far have included, clean your icons (on Sunday of Orthodoxy, pray for the departed, attend 3 services this week, and memorize a specific prayer. 

I was amazed when we sat down to gather a list of departed. The kids were able to come up with lots of people...some they knew well and some they've never met but heard about. Some are family and some are friends. Cam and I each added some names too. 

Orthodox Christians pray for the departed. HERE is a good explanation of why.

It was fun on the day we cleaned our icons. It was touching to see my 12 yr. old happy to participate. I wondered if he would consider himself too old. 

The kids carefully took their icons off the wall and lovingly cleaned them and returned them to their places. Since we venerate and kiss the front of the icons it is nice to get them clean. 

We are all working on memorizing The Prayer of St. Ephraim. It's a beautiful prayer said during Lent...and really it's fitting all year 'round. 

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. 

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. 

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.

So far Lent is going well. Of course we are already tired of fasting foods. But, yes that's the point. We have enjoyed several of the extra services.

We are looking forward to Pascha as it will be different this year being in a new church. But, we still have a ways to go. As our protestant and Catholic friends and family celebrate Easter today we won't celebrate until May 1st this year. For an explanation on why we use a different calendar go HERE.

The good news for us is...

1. Easter candy and decor will be on closeout sale.
2. The weather has a better chance of being sunny.

Yeah and yeah!! Bonus for us Orthodox and a late Pascha.

And so how do we spend our time now without electronics/TV. Well the kids have been building like crazy with Legos and spending time reading for hours and riding bikes outside. Yes! Why do we allow them any screen time the rest of the year?! It's a rhetorical question. 

Ladder of Divine Ascent

Lent is marching onward. Last Sunday was the Ladder of Divine Ascent Sunday. This morning our priest sent out a quote from the book Ladder of Divine Ascent by John Climacus (c. 579-649). He was abbot of the monastery of Catherine on Mount Sinai. His Ladder was the most widely used handbook of the ascetical life in the ancient Greek Church.

I really like this quote and thought you might like it too. 

"The first step toward freedom from anger is to keep the lips silent when the heart is stirred; 

the next, to keep thoughts silent when the soul is upset; 

the last, to be totally calm when unclean winds are blowing."  

Lenten Journey

The newness of Lent has worn thin. We are in the thick of it now. The excitement I felt at the start has gone missing. Time to regroup and continue to press forward. It's easy to become discouraged but I'm no longer a Lenten rookie so I know if I carry on I will be grateful for my effort.

Fasting: I reminded the kids at the start of Lent that our meals would not be their favorites. That they would like some but not all of them. I told them that fasting isn't Cam and I's favorite meals either but it's what we do and we weren't going to complain.

The kids have done really well! I try to put at least one fruit on the dinner table. This year I bought applesauce and canned mandarin oranges (even though they are from China...which gave Cam a stroke). But, that little bit of sweet seems to make a difference. I told the kids that Lent is somber and yet there is a sweetness to it. Just like our meals! Also, the kids know they can have a PB&J any time instead of the offered dinner. But, so far nobody has chosen that.

I have enough recipes in my Lenten repertoire that cooking is much easier than it was years ago. Even with lots of recipes it's not our regular meals. To tell you the truth...the food gets bland...and boring...and old. But, I guess that's the point. I keep reminding myself to keep it simple. I naturally love to cook and I truly LOVE yummy food....but I have to constantly redirect my desires. Again, that's the point.

Services: We have a special Wednesday night service during Lent that we go to as a family. The first week of Lent we couldn't attend it so last week was our first one. To tell you the truth I wasn't wanting to go. It's really hard for me to leave the house after the kids all get home from school. I'm tired and my day feels done.....pj and slipper time. Cam was working later than usual so we opted to meet him at a parish closer to his work. I gathered up the kids...meaning frantically fed them, and hustled them into the van.

Once we arrived and I walked into the nave I was glad I had come. Standing in church with my family is one of my favorite things...albeit one of those things I forget that I like so much. It's like exercise....I like it once I do it! Going to church is exercise for my soul.

The pic above is so precious. Moses was feeling sleepy and he laid his head on Tuba's lap. Tuba was rubbing his head. Standing in church together is a great time for us to show affection to one another. It reminds us that we are there for each other. That we are connected.

Prayer: We say the Lord's Prayer together on the way to school each morning. Sometimes I add a few things that we are thankful for and sometimes I remind the kids to act with courage and love. We talk about ways kids can do that at school...things like comforting someone, stopping bullying, standing up for what they believe in. In the evening we pray together as a family. Truthfully...it often feels rushed and chaotic. It's the END of the day after all and we are all tired and Cam and I are anxious to see the kids off to bed. During Lent I've begun standing with my eyes closed. It helps me to focus...and not notice EVERY LITTLE THING going on around me.

I am working on letting some silence in. If I am home alone or in the car alone I am forcing myself to notice the view and sit with the silence. I spend some time saying the Jesus pray...Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me. It is very calming to soak in some silence.

That Let It Go Thing: I'm sure I am much better at reminding my kids...or Cam to Let It Go than I am at doing it myself. But, I have had a few successes this Lent. I tell myself that if I still feel annoyed/bothered/driven to comment after a few hours...or a night's sleep...then I can say it. But what do you know...most often I forget or it just doesn't seem as important anymore. So,  a few small victories over my mouth are good. I'll persevere and continue to zip it/clamp it/stow it. After all...I am the example that my children are watching. Plus....it's good for me too.

Screen Time: The kids aren't having any video game time and very little screen time at all for Lent. They have watched a couple movies so far on the weekends. It has been AMAZING!!!! They did this amazing thing called.....PLAYING TOGETHER!!! On Saturday morning they were all building Legos together and then they went OUTSIDE to ride bikes at 9:00 am. Whoa!!! I am not going to give them back video games! Shhhhhh......don't tell them!

Cam and I are screen limited also. Facebook is such a temptation for me. I like to plop down when I'm tired and check out what my family and friends are doing. I had to delete the app off of my phone.  ...that will help me not be tempted.

I'll leave you with this Kairos moment. I went for a walk with Mr. P the other night. God's creation is splendid!

Get Out There

We explored a new-to-us area of our city. It was a fun and free outing! Plus, the sun was shining. We like to be "tourists" in our own town. Although I've lived here my entire life I has never seen this area.

It's a wildlife preserve and they have added a walking trail in a loop. The area is being restored to it's natural state as an estuary. 

We are focusing on getting outside and enjoying "green spaces". It is very good for our body and mind to make time for this....everyday. 

Lent has begun and it's a time for us to quiet our minds and grow closer to God. It's amazing how much beauty there is in the world. I notice more of it and give thanks more often when my environment is quieter. 

The kids will have no video game time and Cam and I have signed off of FB and other screen time for Lent....except I will be writing here. I do find it to be useful for my soul.

Our meals will be simple and frugal. We are fasting from meat and some dairy. Our goal is to focus less on food. We will use the money we save to increase our almsgiving. 

We are going to spend more time reading scripture, lives of the Saints and Bible stories with the kids. And of course spend more time in church for special Lenten services. 

While on our hike Mr. P was carrying Moses on his back and Sis ran in front of them with a big stick....CRASH. Mr. P went down hard on both knees....scraped and banged hard inside the kneecap. 

As a family of 7 we get in each others' way sometimes....or often. We argue and we irritate each other...sometimes on purpose. Lent will be a time to reign this in. The kids and I talked this morning about how to Let It Go....as the Disney song says. We can choose to not react, not comment, to walk away or to react in love and kindness.

As a family of 7 we also have great opportunity to love on each other. There is always at least one person around willing to hug you, comfort you and be your friend. 

When Mr. P fell it was his Dad that carried him ALL the way back to the van. This was a wonderful example for the kids. Throughout Lent we will work towards this spirit of carrying and comforting one another. 

Our day ended with this amazing sunset. God's love for us shows in His creation of our world. 

We hope to show God our love for Him by growing near to Him in this season of Lent. 

The Journey

George at the Thursday night service. This about sums up how we all feel midweek of Holy Week.

Holy Week is intense. The spiritual journey comes at the end of a lenten journey that was intense. Holy Week is long services every night, and for us that means lots of driving. With a big family it means lots of kid wrangling and outfit changes and meals and squeezing in homework. It's hard to fit it all in. Hard for me to do it all....and do it without feeling pulled apart.

I should know by now that Holy Week is emotionally hard, physically hard. But, I'm always caught by surprise when I fall apart. On Wednesday my kids were crabby. They fought from the moment they woke up. They were terrible to each other and to me. The day and week's stress were complicated by Cam being stuck at work long hours. He would leave the city and drive straight to church to meet us. Being without my partner and help meet made me even more stressed. 

After the kids bad behavior I was running around trying to get out the door for the Unction Service. I had my own melt down. Bad Mommy moment!! At church I felt so terrible that I spent the service crying. The kids were shocked and genuinely felt remorseful. After the service we all apologized and agreed to start fresh the next day. 

Although Holy Week is hard, it's so worth it. Hearing the gospels and how Jesus suffered on the cross puts everything in perspective. Christ's death was the ultimate sacrifice. Surely we can honor Him by coming to church. To worship. To learn. To hear. To grow. To teach. To give praise. 

Forgiveness Sunday

Last night we attended the Forgiveness Vespers service at church. It is such a beautiful service. Humbling. It's exactly the right way to begin Lent. During the service all of the vestments, candle holders and table cloths are changed from red to purple. It's beautiful. Purple, the color of royalty, repentance, and self-discipline, is the traditional color for the season of Lent.

After the Vespers service ends we begin the asking of forgiveness part. We line up and begin with the priests. You stand face to face and each person says, "forgive me", you make the sign of the cross and bow and then each person says, "I forgive you", or "God forgives" as you hug and press your cheek to each side of each other's face. Does that sound confusing? Think of a European greeting with a kiss to each cheek...only we don't do the kiss part....okay, a few people do. After the priests come the Deacons, Sub-Deacons, Readers, and then the congregation.

We go through the line with our kids to help them along. I can say it was MUCH easier this year...my first year not carrying someone on my hip/back/front in at least 5 years. Whew! WAY easier. :) Sis surprised us all by giving each priest a HUGE hug. Wow! Baby George was more shy. Tuba LOVED it and giggled the whole way through. He loves to greet each person. Busy Guy and Mr. P did a fabulous job. It can be intimidating for adults to do this service but even more for young kids. The boys were awesome. They crossed themselves and asked for forgiveness to each and every person. Great kids!

Of course the most moving part of this is when you get to ask your immediate family to forgive you. I always linger a bit longer with each of my kids and husband as we hug. It is wonderful to see our kids hug each other too. Brings tears to my eyes.

I ask all of you for forgiveness also. Please forgive me if I have ever offended you. Forgive me my shortcomings or any wrongdoings.

God forgives.