Second Week of Lent

uno. Remember how important tools are? We bought this wheelbarrow from someone in the Micronews. It came in a box with a million parts [yes, an exaggeration] and a wheel. I was tempted, just for a moment, not to follow the instructions and just try to assemble it. Decided to follow the book and was lead to success - we now have an awesome, industrial strength wheelbarrow!

There are probably other opportunities to "follow the book" and end up with good results. It's hard, because our nature is to go it alone, or without direction, and just figure it out. Trust me; I'm a huge fan of trial and lots of error. It doesn't have to always be this way. We do have instruction [or guidance] available, if we ask.

dos. Paul's birthday last week. Not sure if anyone quietly celebrated in his honor. He never made a big deal of this day in the past; kind of how he approached things. Give others the attention. Hope it was a peaceful day for our cousin in eternity.

tres. Food poisoning in Cafe 9; vegetarian Indian food. It's no fun being sick to your stomach [and beyond]. Most of us can handle pain and illness, but tummy illness is the worst. It's messing with primitive functions; and we are a family that loves to eat. And yet it turned out to be perfectly aligned with Lent; the fasting from that which draws us away from Our Father. I paused before cramming my tummy with food after being completely drained empty. It's back to remembering the homeless; those who don't have resources to fill their tummy or who are constantly sick. Please pray for them.

quatro. I gave up meat for Lent. Didn't think it was going to be a big deal. Wrong! It's been very hard to fight the urge to nibble small amounts of meat. Maybe I should assign Chula the credit for nurturing me into a carnivore par excellence. Meat is an instant craving every time I'm hungry. Replace every meal with non-meat recipes, just try it. It's another wandering in the desert exercise; denial of self to arrive at the humble state of a servant in training. I am finding my locusts and honey.

cinco. Friday night at St. James cathedral for the Rite of Election ceremony. I'll let Deborah share this herself; it was beautiful. Evonne et al took care of Memphis while we were there. Back at her house it was pure joy to watch her play with cousins; because this is what we do, we play with each other, even as adults. We are connected, and it's so obvious when a few of us gather.

ses. I'm tired of the war, tired of hearing about it, knowing it's out there and happening every day. It would have been very cool to have it suspended for Lent [oh the arrogance]; but the fight rages on.

siete. Create art. If we take the time to inventory how many of us create art... it's quite a pool of talent. Someday I would like to start an exchange so we can all share each other's work, celebrate it then pass it on to our children. For me the next frontier is back to music. There are so many songs percolating in my heart; the arrangements have worked out over many years. I'm on the hunt for a good acoustic guitar to start working simple chord structures, see what emerges.

Want to hear a dream? I would LOVE to hear the harmony created from our collective voices. Perhaps we can't all sing [at least by professional standards] but we can all make sounds with our voices. How many have tried? Don't be suprised if I show up at a reunion with portable recording gear. If you have sound clips of your singing voice, please send it to me.

ocho. Who do we honor? The future is aging, I'm not a kid anymore. The elders speak in long sentences during prayer sessions. But who are they? Who are the names which should spill out from each reflection? I don't need stories but do want signposts to follow into reverence. So much pain and suffering came before us. My life today is built on the backs of others before me, taking risks and giving to what is core. Who do we honor?

nueve. I'm trying out a new Pocket PC phone. It's bigger than my smartphone was; but the features help to ignore the size. What does this have to do with Lent? Maybe nothing. But my hope is that it provides a tool to build quiet spaces [for example listening to music during a writing period]. It's also an archive tool; to collect pieces along the journey. It all goes to Memphis someday.

Kiss the one you love. See you next week.

frank