Lenten Commitments

It's kind of funny. When Lent rolls around, I make the kind of commitments that most people make for the New Year. I guess I feel like I can handle a commitment for 40 days. It's an entire year that I have trouble with. At any rate, I don't think I've been doing this whole Lent thing the "right way" (perhaps it's the lack of a good Catholic background). Instead of fasting of some food item, at some point in the past 10 years or so, I've evolved to giving up habits or undesirable practices (maybe that is the right idea). And now, I'm starting to try to add in desired practices.

So this year, we thought we'd have a conversation with the kids about making sacrifices and trying to pursue the character that Jesus embodies. Here are our family commitments during this season when we prepare to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus...

Ian:
Giving up coffee and political blogs
Adding in Scripture memorization

Me:
Giving up coffee also (because Ian's the one who makes it every morning and it really wouldn't hurt to have less caffeine...and we just ran out of coffee anyway), political blogs (I think I thought of it before Ian did), talk radio (and adding in more edifying listening choices), spoons and flicks (not going to explain)
Adding in more words of affirmation

Jackson:
Giving up hitting Kiran

Kiran:
Giving up "crying Jophes" (not sure what that means, although we think it means that she's going to try to treat her little buddy Joseph a bit better)

And away we go....