Lenten Acts of Kindness Days 1-5

Good Monday morning!

Last week I mentioned that during Lent I would be doing kind things every day instead of giving something up. Giving is something that, in my opinion, is more Christ-like than giving something up during this season. To hold myself accountable, I also said that I would be giving weekly updates on what I did each day. So here's the first report!

Day 1. Wednesday: I called my little sister and we talked for over an hour. She and I lived together through college and ever since I moved away, it's been hard to keep up with her. Making the conscious decision to call her made her feel good because I cared enough to call, and it made me feel good because I like hearing about what she's up to these days.

Day 2. Thursday: Valentine's Day! My fiancé had work all day and then a meeting in the evening, so we decided to have a low-key time and go on a date on Friday. But I decided it would be nice to make dinner for him. I made a very nice rotini dinner and he was happy. I like making making him happy. :-)

Day 3. Friday: I moved away from Montana when I was 13 years old. Until then, I saw my grandparents every week. I've done my best to stay in touch with them because I miss them and I know it means a lot to them for me to keep up with them. I gave them a call and we talked for about 45 minutes. They always thank me at the end of our conversations and I know it makes them happy when I call. I like talking with them, too!

Day 4. Saturday: My dad is working on his doctoral degree in education. He's going to graduate in May! Part of his work is interviewing Ethiopians about education. He has a lot of video interviews and needs them transcribed so that he can write about them. Now, I'm not doing it for free, but I worked on getting these videos typed out for him for a couple of hours on Saturday. It helps him with his work and it helps me make a little bit of cash. :-)

Day 5. Sunday: My fiancé and I take some time each week to talk about our relationship. I don't know if you count this as an "act of kindness," but lately I've been working really hard on listening more and talking less. Yesterday we had a great conversation about where we are and what we want for the future. A lot of this had to do with the fact that I was willing to listen and not be so defensive. It made a difference to Josh. :-)

Off for another week of acts of kindness! Hope you all are having success in your giving ways, too!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Lent: Channel Your Inner Christ

The Christian observation of Lent starts tomorrow. The purpose of Lent is to prepare the Christian faithful for the coming and resurrection of Christ (aka Easter). It is tradition that one gives up something during the 40 day long observation; thus removing worldly distractions, allowing the faithful to focus.

I've done the Mardi Gras thing before: dinner at Qdoba, dessert from Dairy Queen, and evening snack from Wendy's. Then the next day I give up fast food for Lent. I've done this the last three or four years with my sister. Neither of us actually likes fast food (I think the last time I had a Big Mac was four or five years ago), but we get a lot of attention and makes us look amazing for giving up something that most people couldn't.

But I have a different idea for Lent this year: instead of giving something up, I'm going to give something away or do something unexpectedly kind for someone every day of Lent this year. If the point of Lent is to pay attention to how Christ lived, then maybe instead of depriving ourselves of something (although I know it's a reference to the 40 days in the desert) we could give, like he did. It turns the act of being Christ-like from focusing on ourselves to helping other people. If I gave something up for Lent, I would only affect myself. If I do something kind or give something away to someone different every day of Lent, I can touch 40 people's lives. (And, as a side note, if Jesus had his second coming in the next 40 days, don't you think he'd rather see us being kind to each other than depriving ourselves of things?)

So, in this vein, I guess that means that Mardi Gras (today) can be about me! Today I will be selfish and spend the whole day (well, part of it at least!) doing what I want to do. I'm going to work on my rehearsal dress, my wedding invitations, and I might even give myself a manicure. :-)

What are you going to do for Lent? What will you give up or what kind things will you do? I'm going to give weekly updates on my Lenten endeavors and I'd love to hear your stories, too!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi