If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
–1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)
(A pastor friend of mine preached on it a few weeks ago and had an unusual twist.)
Prayer request. Please keep the family of baby Aiden Hall in prayer. Aiden was the nephew of one of my church kids from Minnesota and was born last month at 29 weeks because of his mom’s preeclampsia and weighed in at 1 lb 14.2 oz. (Does this sound somewhat familiar?) Anyway, baby Aiden started having seizures this morning and passed away this afternoon. Please keep parents DJ and Lisa and big brother Liam in prayer as they deal with this heartbreak.
Lent update. We were talking about Jesus being tempted in the desert today at the lectionary Bible study and we got into a big discussion on food. It was a good reminder that my hunger pangs last night were something that Jesus went through when Satan was tempting Him. It also brought to mind Laura’s post on how to fast like a grown up. (A reminder: Laura won the right to pick my Lenten discipline so I’m keeping a cheater version of her fast.)
Valentines for Daniel’s class. As soon as I get these posted, I’m off to create some Valentines for Daniel’s class at school. If I was actually being a cool mom this year, I’d do something from Living Locurto like last year. Instead, I’m putting address labels with hearts onto bags of Mott’s® Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks and calling it good. #slackermom
Laura of Coptic Dad and Mom won the raffle to pick my Lenten discipline and after some email conversation, it was decided that I would take on the Coptic fast (vegan) with some modifications: I am allowed food and drink before noon due to blood sugar issues and my fast will be suspended on Sundays because those are “mini-Easters” in the Episcopal church. (We’re kind of pansies when it comes to fasting and Lent so we give ourselves a day off.) I also can suspend the fast on St. Patrick’s Day because it’s the feast day of my people. She’ll get a guest post (or two or ten) from me on all of this. 🙂
So… I’m sitting here drinking coffee with coconut milk in it and my breakfast consisted of a banana and some peanut butter. In a few minutes, I’ll be getting dressed (well… at least dressed in my “pretty” clothes) and picking up Rebecca to head to church for Ash Wednesday worship. I’ll probably post a selfie with ashes when I get home.
Tomorrow also begins one of my favorite parts of Lent… LENT MADNESS!!!! Which saint will win the Golden Halo?!?!?!? Surf on over to the Lent Madness site tomorrow to find out!
**UPDATE** I’m back from worship and this is my #ashtag.
Outside my window… dark. It was in the 80’s today which is crazy for February in northern California. The Super Bowl was being played in my area so I have a feeling there were A LOT of prayers being lifted for good weather. The Blue Angels even decided to come party in my neighborhood… TWICE! #flyover #NorthernCaliforniaFTW
I am thinking… about how my week is looking and what I need to add to my planner.
I am thankful… for a relatively chill weekend.
In the kitchen… steak, baked potatoes, and caesar salad for dinner with spumoni and Lofthouse cookies for dessert. I think my parents have caught wind of my Lenten plans this year and are trying to make sure that the lead up to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday is fabulous.
I am wearing… navy shirt and black capri sweats.
I am going… for a walk tomorrow morning if I’m not in too much pain. *shakes fist at fibromyalgia*
I am wondering… about how to best blog on this. I wrote about it in 2012 when the lawsuit was cleared to go to trial. I feel horrible for the woman’s daughter — how awful must it be to know (if nobody has told her yet) that her mother views her as an inconvenience and sued because she didn’t get to abort her? It’s not like the daughter isn’t going to discover all of this later on if she ever googles herself.
I am reading…Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber. I had to put A Lesson in Hope by Phillip Gulley down because it was due at the library and I also wasn’t in a good place mentally to read it. Lenten reading is shaping up to be Calmness by H.H. Pope Shenouda III and Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus by James Martin, S.J. which just came out in February.
I am hoping… for some direction as to how my life should go.
A Daniel story for today… when the little monster wakes up in the middle of the night (usually when I’m trying to fall asleep), he turns to me and says “hi” before demanding milk/cheese/my credit card.
Around the house… the hall got painted on Friday and I think my parents are painting the hall ceiling on Tuesday.
A favorite quote for today… “But it was true. I was constantly surprised how the storied names of biblical locales popped up in the most familiar of circumstances: on a simple map, on a graffitied street sign, or in everyday conversations. ‘The traffic to Bethlehem was terrible last night!’ said a Jesuit over dinner one night. Which still didn’t beat ‘Gehenna is lovely.'” — James Martin, S.J. in Jesus: A Pilgrimage (which I *HIGHLY* recommend if you need Lenten reading this year)
One of my favorite things… people-watching during worship. Anyone who has ever sat with me in church should not be remotely surprised.
A few plans for the rest of the week: crocheting while watching Super Bowl commercials, making phone calls on Daniel’s behalf, ashes on Wednesday, Bible study/choir on Thursday, and whatever else comes up.
A peek into my day… This is just funny. #HoneyBadgersFTW
[+] My temperature afghan. I’m still behind but it has given me something to do with my hands while I process other things happening in my life. It also helps me to focus at Bible study.
[+] Lent Madness. I am seriously looking forward to Lent Madness and the silliness that usually ensues as saints and holy people are pitted against each other to determine who wins the Golden Halo.
[+] Emergency Kittens. I’m not sure that people who hate this Twitter account actually have souls. Watching cute kitten videos and seeing wonderful cat pictures is the whole point of the Internet, right? It certainly cheers ME up! #crazycatlady
[+] Walks. When it isn’t raining and I’m not spending mornings at the federal courthouse curating Daniel’s SSI file, I love being able to go for walks and have some quiet prayer time. It also keeps the fibromyalgia at bay.
[+] Iced vanilla lattés. Because coffee needs to taste like ice cream.
[+] My NOOK. I love that I now have a portable library that fits in my purse. Currently on my NOOK: Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber.
[+] Cross-Stitch World.Cross-Stitch World is the weirdest idea for a game/app ever but it works for me. It does for me what coloring does for other people apparently.
Disputing the reigning theory about cat-calling. Christen Brandt of NYC manages to nail why cat-calling is not dependent on one’s outfit. Apparently, a guy on a subway started saying things like “damn, nice legs” to her… when she was wearing a heavy parka and boots because apparently the 5 inches of legs that were showing were there just for him. I’ve gotten cat-called while wearing clothes that don’t even show the shape of my body before and I am a bit aggravated that some men’s lack of boundaries are being blamed on us women.
Picking my Lenten discipline.Y’all have 9 hours to go before the raffle ends to pick my Lenten discipline. There have been some pretty good suggestions thus far.
Unless you live under a rock or don’t attend a liturgical church, you probably know that Lent starts next week for the Western Church. (Those in the East have another month to go.) As I’ve now been at this for 20 years, I thought I’d share some of my favorite Lenten disciplines. Also… if you want a shot at picking mine for me, go here before Friday and enter by leaving me a comment.
Crocheting a square every day. For fiber junkies like me, crocheting or knitting a square a day toward a blanket to be put together after Easter is a good way to be mindful of the season and also get some creativity in. Bonus points if you can pray while doing it.
Three
Dietary changes. I’ve given up meat, chocolate, and Coke before. It sounds really pathetic in comparison to the fasting guidelines that Eastern Christians have but it’s been an exercise in mindfulness to me as I’m forced to think about Jesus every time I get a craving for whatever it is.
Prayer. Two years ago, Beth Anne challenged me to find a church to pray in twice a week and Kelly challenged me last year to pick someone to pray for daily including 5 “enemies”. Both stretched me and improved my prayer life.
