It's Thursday!

I wasn't being lazy this morning, as just posting this at 11:48 a.m. would suggest.  We went to get some wood for the "craft room" at Hartville Hardware.

And I'm not writing about the cats, as promised, because the photo is still in the camera!!  Tomorrow -- I sound like Annie, right?  Can't you just hear me singing, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow.  It's only a day away."

In less than a week, it's Lent.  One of the instructors in the Department of Marketing at The University of Akron hailed from the south.  In a previous job, she had become accustomed to celebrating Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday).  She thought that we needed to get on board too, so she bought Mardi Gras decorations and brought in her collection of feather masks, and us not having a clue she surprised us one year.  We had King Cake.  Well, the next year one of the guy faculty members said he would give gumbo a try and he really outdid himself.  So now it was King Cake, my rice, and his Gumbo, and decorations.  Then she left, but the custom has stayed, and they still celebrate Mardi Gras there.

What are you doing for Lent?  Here are some suggestions that come from the heart.

1.  Go to Mass on the Fridays of Lent.  Mass is at 9:00 a.m. at SS Philip & James.
2.  Write letters of encouragement and understanding, or send cards to old friends and distant family.
3.  Go through your closet and pare it out, giving the items to a worthy organization.  Dig deep.
4.  Make a donation each week to a charity of your choice, so that you don't have any "extra" for yourself.
5.  Get a good book at St. Raphael's and read it, and meditate on the Passion.
6.  Donate to a family that needs help.  Do it anonymously using a Giant Eagle gift card, for example.
7.  Set up a little remembrance area in your house, using a statue or a cross and some candles, for example.
8.  Give up something that you don't think you can live without. 
9.  Don't forget to offer up any sufferings you might have (arthritis, hurt, pain, etc.) for others.
10.  Make a few phone calls to folks who are alone and listen more than talk.

I bet you have some better suggestions yourself.  If you send me yours, I'll pass them along to the other readers.

All the best,  Karen