Shrove Tuesday

MMMMMMMMM paczki! You got it! Fat Tuesday is upon us! The delightful tradition of feasting before fasting... To my left here are a stack of Polish delights called Paczki (prounounced punch-key), heavy fried dough filled with yummy fruit filling and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Oh my yes! On my way to the bank this morning I will be in search of :-) Out here in the predominantly German-Catholic settled West-Central Ohio these can be tough to locate. (leave it to me to focus on the dining aspects lol)

Shrove Tuesday (from "to shrive" or to hear confessions) marks the start of the Lenten Season, the season for fasting, reflection, extra almsgiving, self-denial and spiritual growth. (and no, Lent isn't yet another "celebration of guilt" we Catholics are so "famous for..." lol) Shrove Tuesday (or more commonly known as Fat Tuesday literally "Mardi gras") is a last "hurrah" before we focus in upon ourselves during Lent. This marks the end of the "carne vale" carnival ("end of the flesh") season where all caution is thrown to the wind as we party and celebrate things of the flesh and the earth, truly an extension of Christmas beginning at Epiphany and ending with today, Shrove Tuesday.

This year for me, ice cream goes bye bye for Lent on a earthly/material level. But hey, that's the easy part right?Spiritually, there are a few recurring sinful behaviors I'm focussing on ridding myself of this season for Lent. So, please pray for me :-) The goal here is for me to be able to stay away from the things I give away at Lent. Also during Lent this year, I get to lead our Cub Scouts in our annual food drive so, I will get a nice firsthand charitable giving experience I've enver had before. I'd love to know what y'all are "giving up" this year for Lent.

I share all this "great stuff" I am doing during Lent not so much to praise me... It's all stuff I should (or shouldn't lol) be doing all year long. I am excited about having an active, lifechanging faith. I am thrilled because being sober in AA has brought me to this point. Before getting sober I was simply a "human doing." Now, I am more of a human being. God has given me my life back and I owe it to Him and me to go out and live it, to celebrate the miracle of sobriety!