Lent

We are now almost half-way into Lent.
People participate in Lent for different reasons. For some it is a way to test their willpower, for others an annual tradition, for others still a way to prepare mentally and spiritually for Easter.

This year I was particularly struck by the call of the Methodist Church of Great Britain to "Buy Less (and) Live More"
http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.content&cmid=1944

Carrying their card in my purse is certainly prompting me to put things into perspective, and to consider what I really need to buy vs what I just fancy ...
So far I have managed to stay clear of shop-bought lunches and snacks - and I am planning to give the money I have saved in doing so to charity.

I saw this charity in The Independent the other day, and it really touched me so much that I may make it my chosen charity for this Lent:
http://www.smiletrain.org/site/PageServer
100% of all donations go to repair cleft palates. Often cleft palates are not just a cosmetic issue, but are connected to other medical and health problems.

Just look at these two pictures of Angelica:

Before ...

And after ...