Lenten Friday Five

So here is RevGals Friday Five....I haven't played for awhile, so here is my short play before I run off to something else:

1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?
hmmm...yep, on Fat Tuesday I had some nice yummy pasta and a lovely glass of wine. We had a lovely service in my congregation for Ash Wednesday, which included flash paper, candles, pyrotechnics, and ashes. The confirmation class (all boys) enjoyed it. I got to spend some time with some people that I haven't had the opportunity to get to know much before, so it was nice.

2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?
I loved Mardis Gras when I was teaching, as our music teacher was big into celebrating Mardis Gras with lots of drumming and wonderful music....then in my department we would always fold up a banner of Alleluia and place it in a trunk to discover at Easter. Another great Mardis Gras was when I was a college chaplain, and I ordered 300 Krispy Creme donuts and told the students to come to chapel, grab a donut, and enjoy the next 30 minutes just playing (rather than having required chapel). They loved it, and I loved it!

3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it? Are you kidding? I grew up a staunch Lutheran in the Plains states. We went to Lent services every Wednesday night, and would get a ticket. If you had five tickets out of 7, you would get a pin--a cross, a fish, a dove, whatever. I had a whole collection throughout the years. Crazy, huh?

4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between? Probably in between. I have done both for a discipline...and it is a great practise.

5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year? Well, I am not giving up or taking on....but I hope to be mindful. We are studying the parables for our series, so I will immerse myself in those stories of Jesus...but personally, my plan is to remember to do the lovingkindness meditation at least once, daily. I guess that is taking on, huh?

On a personal note, thanks for kindness and prayers expressed on my earlier posts about my nephew. Thank you. Blessings and peace and joy to you.