GREETINGS AND HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!!!
I am stuffed! And haven't even had dinner yet! In my hometown we had a very big Polish population in a nearby city, and so have grown up with eating paczkis on Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras!) Paczkis are a delicious Polish pastery made with a dozen egg yolks (!) and usually filled with jelly, custard or sweet cream, and you eat as many of them as you can in addition to a huge dinner, since traditionally you fast the next day on Ash Wednesday.
Anyway, they have no paczkis on the island, nobody even knows what they are! So I settled for some yummy cupcakes from one of the local grocery stores. I am going to miss sugar for the next 40 days!
Lent has begun to become important to me over the years, and while I may not go to church during this time (or ever lol) it has become a time of reflection, self-exploration, and renewing my connection with God, and increasing my connection with the Divine and the Universe. I do try to go on Ash Wednesday at least, or sometimes will put ashes on my own forehead and pray if i couldn't make it to Mass. This year I am giving up sugar, but am also going to find more time to be alone in nature with God, and am still toying with the idea of actually going to church. But I am terrified of going to church, especially alone! But then I guess that's the whole point of Lent, getting outside of your comfort zone. A lot of people celebrate Lent as a rememberance of Jesus dying for us and repenting our sins. But for me, Lent is a reminder that we are not the only masters of the world, and that we should look to the greater things around us and connect with the Divine to bring about a greater US and humble ourselves to others. But that's just me.
I'm not trying to preach to anyone, or push Christianity on anyone (anyone who knows me that would be the most hypocritical thing ever since I combine a lot of things into my own brand of worship) but to maybe plant a seed of thought in people to do some of their own self-exploration and connection, whether it be to God, Buddah, Yaweh, The Great Creator, Allah, Mother Nature, Sacred Feminine, Ganush, Krishna, the aliens, Orisis, Patah or whoever else.
I'll be doing updates on how the Lenten Season goes for me and what changes, if any, I bring about this season. But for now I am going to go roll myself into the kitchen to make some dinner before my fast tomorrow and eat that last cupcake!!!
Peace y'all!
i was thinking on writng about lent tonight also! i was born and raised catholic but only just got confirmed last Easter. During the few months of classes that i had to take i often went to church by myself. i found it verying freeing. i didnt worry about anything or anyone but myself and God. I say go for it! plus it may help you grow in the community :)
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