'Little Arms'

Rather than being a season of 'without' I'm finding my own personalized version of Lent to be a season of discovery, happiness, meaning, and connection.

When I noticed in my readings two days ago that, "The pretzel is actually a food invented for Lent: its name means 'little arms' in German, and the shape is meant to be arms folded in prayer," I shared the delight with Cassie and Caroline. We knew pretzels represented arms folded in prayer, we didn't know they were created for Lent.

The next morning I awakened to a bowl of rising pretzel dough and Cassie's enthusiastic face. Caroline was particularly happy when she arrived home from acting class to the aroma of freshly baked goodies.

In removing some of the fluff and nonsense from my life I find new and surprising adventures around corners. In opening up time for myself I find a freedom that calms, encourages, gives space for naturally focusing on what matters. It's the way life was lived just a few years ago, simpler, before media filled our minds and hours with its insistence, before daily living became a hurried chore, before personal identification was gulped by an ever homogenizing culture leaving a desperate need to be heard, seen, understood.

It's been helpful, this chosen deeper observation of the pivotal time in history when God dwelt among humankind. Helpful, light, enjoyable, refreshing. Finding my own way, with my daughters, we go where we will, read what interests, follow what beckons. Instinctually we allow the things of God to present themselves to us in big and small ways, not religiously, not in step with an organized church, just in step with the soft whispering of hearts that long to know and love their Creator all the more.

Cassie's pretzels were delicious, of course. But more than that, their presence gave rise to meditation as we contemplated little arms folded in prayer to our Savior, and what He means to us.