Forty Day Journey

Eight years ago today, I got married. March 5, 2006 I married the one I could no longer live without. BUT, it wasn't this day:

Or, this day

Nope. This was our wedding that happened on October 5, 2006. So, what's this March 5th anniversary all about?!  Well, it's a long story, (if ya want to know, just ask me) BUT, Chris and I were REALLY married on March 5th in the Stockhammer's living room on Harvestwood Drive in Tyler, Texas. 

See, told ya so. 

March 5, 2006 

Christoph and Chris

Lora, Alaina and Stef

...

Today is also Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent.  I did not grow up recognizing or celebrating this day, or this season. Up until very recently I really had no idea what it was all about, besides that whole "giving up something." I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I just read on someone's Facebook post (a friend of a friend- I have no idea who she is, so hopefully she won't ever read this comment here...) that she was giving up "fried apricot pies and cheesecake." No lie. 

I think that if we are giving up fried pies and cheesecake (neither of which I have personally had in eons) then perhaps we might be missing the point. Maybe. Or maybe this particular person really does have an addiction to fried apricot pies and cheesecake. I doubt it. I thinking they will probably replace the fired apricot pie with fried cherry pie and the cheesecake with a cannoli and call Lent a success. OK, I'll stop judging now. Yes, I see the plank in my own eye. I'll work on it first.

For Lent we are going clean. Yes, that means no fritos, or cheetos or doritos. No saltines or potato chips or popcorn. Not even any rice cakes or Almond Crisps or dried apricots or raisins. We are eating 100% real food 100% of the time. 

I started with Jen Hatmakers list from her book "7" and sort of went from there. 

My TEN list looks like this:

Whole wheat bread

Sweet potatoes

Spinach

Avocado

Apples

Chicken 

Eggs

Plain greek yogurt

Almonds

Oatmeal

Plain and simple. Water. Black Coffee. Salt. Pepper. Olive Oil.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm not going to an Ash Wednesday service. I wouldn't even know where to go, besides to my local Catholic church. And I'm not even sure where that is. I am going to diligently try and set aside time to read these daily readings, as I have found them so very wonderful in previous years. (Baby's first nap of  the morning has worked well. I just have to remind myself to SIT DOWN and not run around doing dishes, laundry, paying bills etc. It's me time. It's God's time. Stuff will always be there and will always demand my time. It will always seem more pressing...)

...

 Additionally, THIS BLOG, A Holy Experience, is so stinking good. 

"The next 40 some days isn’t about what you’re giving up —- it’s about Who you’re giving in to. That’s the real invitation of the next 40 some days: Give up a bit of your stuff so that you can give Him more of yourself."

...

I didn't go to Bible Study yesterday, because Chris was still home, and school was canceled and I love time together, the three of us. Even if it is the third day at home... stuck inside because of ice.

Today I skipped MOPS. I went to talk to my most recent employer about going back to work part-time. See the girl I worked with, we grew up together. We were best friends fourth grade through eighth grade. Then, in high school, we just sort of had different interests and went different ways. Working with her from February until Camille was born in September was so nice. Just to be friends again. But, last week something changed in her world- she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. At 33 years old. With two little boys. Completely out of the blue.

So, since her life has been turned upside-down I offered to go in a couple of days a week. To help her out as much as I can with Camille strapped to me. I plan on taking my swing and pack-n-play and a big quilt up there next week and just doing what I can do, when I can do it. 

Since she's shared with me I keep thinking about being ten-year-old girls. About swimming parties and sleepovers and boys and all the things we learned about life together. Between then and now we've both been through some crap and some hard times and lived a lot of life. I'm sure we'd both say that we've experienced things we never thought we would. But this. This is Cancer. With a capital C. But it's still not bigger than our God. 

Driving 30 miles to work 2/3 days a week with a 5 month old isn't convenient. But neither is cancer. And I'm really convicted that this is what I should do. For now. For a month or two or three or however long it takes.