As you may know, Wednesday began the season of Lent. Peace and Solitude have now taken a deeper meaning, as I embark on a spiritual journey, breaking the unhealthy attachments, habits I have picked up during the year to prepare myself for Easter. I love this time and it begins so appropriately during these last days of Winter.
As a family, we use this time to remember what we mean to one another. To focus especially on treating each other with respect, to love one another as we have been loved. It entails doing small sacrifices and acts of kindness and mercy, spiritually "giving" them to God for another (by a random draw, each child picked a sibling to specially pray for during lent). Purple, the color of waiting, adorns the house again, as during Advent but, this time, without the joyful expectation. Our Lenten days are a bit more solemn as we focus on the ways we need to grow.
As we all need tangible things to help us understand the spiritual, this bowl of beans represent our deeds. The children place them in a jar as they carry out good deeds of their own or witness those of another. On Easter morning the beans are "miraculously" changed to jellybeans. This mirrors what God does with our kindnesses, turning them into grace.
What sweet sweet traditions. I love the good deed beans. I may just have to snatch that one right up. All of the things you and your family are partaking in sound so wonderful.
ReplyDelete:)Lisa
Your journal of what Lent means to your family brought tears. As I said on Valentine's Day..."why do we devote just one (or 40) day to keeping love, forgiveness, generosity, and respect in our hearts?" I don't know the answer; I'm just putting it out there.
ReplyDeleteKandyce, you're always such a guide to me to how to raise mindful, thoughtful children. Thank you for your beautiful pictures too/ I just love your post--it gives me a lot of energy to bring to my own home.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I do love our traditions, too. Truth be told, the good deed beans is an idea I snatched from someone else. I love the thought of it spreading. That's the way it should be :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love you, Kel:)
ReplyDeleteIt is true, that it can seem unfortunate that we devote a day or days to living the way we should all year long. I think it is a result of our humanity. We get distracted by responsibilities and discouraged when things don't go the way we want them to. Doing the absolute right thing, all the time, is a struggle. Because of how fickle we are, I am grateful that at least, for the devoted days, we do decide to focus on the things we should. My hope is that if we really make an honest and whole hearted effort to not just "do" what we should during those times, but actually change and grow, then those days are vital to eventually knowing how to live as we should everyday :)
ReplyDeleteI love your post...such simple but powerful ideas to teach children about acts of kindness. Thanks so much for sharing them with us!
ReplyDelete