Good bye, Agatha

It seems that somehow we've landed well into the season of Lent.  How quickly 2017 is passing!   I'm enjoying two different Lenten reflections each morning.  One is from the Ignatian Solidarity Network and another is from Portico Collective.  Both can easily be subscribed to and I highly recommend them as an simple anchor for each day.  

As a family, we've each chosen a fruit of the spirit to focus on and are hoping to find ourselves with a bit more of that quality showing on Easter morning.   I've chosen to work on self control.   I've given up desserts/sweets which is really allowing me to practice self control around every turn and except for a mishap with a fortune cookie (which I do not even like in the first place!) I've shown great self control in the area of desserts. Never mind that it's not even been a full two weeks yet!  Practicing self control has also helped with not checking in on the news with fevered frequency, which has done wonders for my peace.  

This year we also took the 40 bags in 40 days challenge.  You give/throw away 40 bags of things you don't need over the 40 days of Lent.   I'm pretty sure we've already hit the 40 bag mark.  It's been awesome!  I started planting the idea with my family in January, hinting that we all ought to watch the Minimalism documentary on Netflix while reminding them of how much fun it was when we were in Michigan last summer without much stuff.  So they were primed when I approached everybody about clearing out some things around the house.  We have cleared out bedding, clothing, books, as well as general junk in the basement.   And there's no end in sight!  Ok, there's probably an end in sight but the point is, it's going great.   Kevin and I have said we're not getting rid of stuff in order to make space for new stuff.    We're clearing stuff out because we don't need it, it doesn't bring us joy and it is actually having the opposite effect on us.  When we have too much stuff it owns us and our time.    It's actually pretty simple, we're keeping the stuff we love and use and need and the rest can go.  Which is how after 20 years I was able to give away a huge collection of Agatha Christie books today.  Those books took me many used book sales to collect.   But for years they've sat in boxes waiting for a time when I had the bookshelf space for them.  I don't want them anymore.  There was a time when the collecting and reading brought me joy and that is enough, they've served their purpose.  This afternoon, we donated the entire collection to a used bookstore.  Just the thought of some Agatha Christie fan like me coming upon those titles brings me a new wave of joy.  

Lucy is working on being peaceful.  She is really making an effort at choosing peaceful words and actions! 

Walking to school!

This afternoon Lucy played with our next door neighbor.  She was invited to stay for dinner and begged us to please let her eat with the neighbors because they were having BACON with their dinner!  Lucy is a reluctant vegetarian and has missed bacon so much this winter so we agreed :).  When she came home she told us all about a new toy her friend has.  And then she got out her markers and paper and wrote a note to the Easter Bunny asking him if he'd please bring her the toy for her Easter basket.  Kevin and I laughed and laughed.   The "we aren't getting new stuff to replace the old stuff" seems to be sinking in.  But no matter the talk, a six year old is still a six year old and that's a wonderful thing!