We all deal with the Lenten Struggles - the fasting, the giving up, the extra little penances we assign ourselves, etc. Sometimes it includes the crazy looks or ridicule you get from someone because you actually DO something for Lent.
Me? Oh, I went all out this year. So much so that my wife asked if I was feeling alright, and my father called me back and said "Okay, now you'll have to explain to me what led you to this decision." My sons wonder if Dad's train has gone around the bend for the last time. A co-worker laughed and then stopped himself and said "Wait - you're serious?"
I gave up - wait for it - watching my beloved Washington Capitals hockey team. Now, some people might say "Big deal", but you have to understand that, in many cases, weekend chores, errands and family dinners out during the week are scheduled around Capitals games.
My thinking went like this - of all the things I like, what would be the hardest thing to go cold turkey on? Yep, watching the Capitals. Especially considering the fact that the playoffs start LOOONG before Lent is over, so I'll be missing quite a few playoff games. When the playoffs are on, nobody in the family better be kicking the bucket, or getting married, or scheduling a funeral, because a man has to have priorities.
So yes, maybe in the grand scale of things, it ain't much, but like the little drummer boy, I do what I can.
Here's to a fulfilling Lenten season!