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 ...

Happy non-Valentines Day!

This year, as every year, I am boycotting Valentines Day.
My husband and I have been together for 22 years (yay!), and have never exchanged Valentines gifts or cards ...

Relationships need to be worked on every day.
Of course we need to look out for each other's needs, spend time together, show our love for each other with words, with gifts and with actions ... but why do it because somebody somewhere has set a certain day aside for it?

Why buy into the hype and the consumerism that surrounds Valentines Day?

For us, today will just be another day. No rings, no champagne, no cards, not even chocolates!
As it happens we are both at home today, and the children are at school ... so the possibilities of how to spend the day are endless!