Lent. Let Go and Let God.

 So Lent. How is yours going? 

My hubby gave up reading. He and I each read in excess of 100 books a year. Now this is a tough one. I don’t think he knows what to do with his hands or earphones early mornings and during the evenings. He is like a smoker in withdrawal. I would be the same. I think the instinct to pick up a book is for us a natural one. We can happily read a weekend away together. I admire the effort it is costing him. 

My Lent? What exactly it contains is not for this column. However I will say that I am leaning more towards the “will do”s” as opposed to the “won’t do’s”. As usual I do my 40 days of Lent letter writing and as always it interests me to see the responses. Some phone me in tears. Some send me a meaningful message, some almost shrug it off (ok one did and I was not surprised), but one very surprisingly seemed to not realise that this exercise means something to me. Maybe the nonchalant response was meant to teach me something. Even God has a sense of humour. But it hurt me. And they will never realise how much. There is something I will tell you - in one of my never ending Uber trips during the ongoing car saga, I had to have the driver do the round of libraries viz Somerset West, Strand and Gordon’s Bay, before taking me home. Our books are always from book sales - like at our parish, or very often the plethora of libraries we frequent. The driver was fascinated that I had books to return to all three. When he parked at Strand Library so I could run in, he told me he had never been in a library. 42 years old and never been in a proper large library. What privilege we sometimes ignore in our lives.. Well come along I said, when he had parked, and into the library we went. I gave him the grand tour, like a member of staff. He loved that there were books and audiobooks, magazines, places to sit etc. I got him a membership form - you don’t pay to belong to a library, they explained he needs a copy of his ID and proof of address (he had it from his savings acc) and two references. I told the library to use me as one (they want to be able to find their books if needed). He drove me again three days later. He had joined. And taken out one book. And that - that is part of my “will do’s” of Lent. Will do more of, not less of. 

One step at a time. One deed at a time. That is what we are called to do. 

Till soon 

C’est la vie 

Xxx