Ash Wednesday

It's the beginning of Lent. I heard mass at 9am and saw the familiar faces of old people in our neighbourhood. There were a few of us (not so old) around, some are parents from Marist. When you walk your kids to school/ daycare, you can actually see the faces within the community. I think it's a good thing as you get to be a familiar face as well. It also gives me a sense of familiarity.

A Pinay friend told me how the local catholic community is very pleased with the Pinoys because we fill up their churches. I was surprised when she told me that there wasn't much pakeha attending mass in the CBD, even in St. Benedict's which is city fringe. It's the complete opposite for us in St. Mary's Parish. I think it only shows the demographics of the residents in the area.

So I haven't been strict with fasting and abstinence since I got here. I had all sorts of excuses, which is really just my kids. But there shouldn't be any excuses for me now as we're almost past the toddler years. I managed to avoid meat last Wednesday and will try to every Friday during Lent. I'll also be cutting back on junkfood, specifically those bag of crisps. Yes, I have at least 3 of those hidden at the bottom of the kitchen shelf. I know my inventory. Another thing is that I'm trying to cook fresh veggies instead of frozen. Actually making use of fresh herbs as much as i can. I find it time consuming sometimes to chop carrots, potatoes, parsley, cabbage, capsicum, etc. But those are good stuff. I try not to think about lying down in bed whenever I get home as I simply won't have the energy to prepare a complete meal for family dinner. 

I have been reading Our Daily Bread 2016 diary. I don't read 1 page a day instead, I read a few pages. It's a good read, a nice refresher and it makes me feel light and positive afterwards. So lately, whenever I feel bad about anything, I really just try to focus on what I can do to make things better. It's small things like playing board games with my kids, encouraging a dress up day for the women at work, playing football during lunch with my colleagues even if I don't know the game, or simply taking a walk during lunch just to clear my head. 

Something about Lent that puts me in a reflective mood.