The Season of Lent 2016

Forty days. 

Forty nights.

Fasting.  

Praying. 

Giving.  

I was born and raised Catholic.  I've stated this many a time.  Lenten observances are still something that I find myself doing.  An automatic thing to me.  It is natural to allow myself those forty days of cleansing, of focusing on my spirituality, and my faith.  Yes, part of my beliefs and my faith are rooted in Catholicism and Christianity as much as they have roots in faiths considered by the first two as pagan.  

The 2016 Lenten season for me is a bit different.  There are many things that I could choose from to give up: facebook, tumblr, twitter, instagram, and various other social media vices.  However, I have chosen instead to give up chocolate for the Lenten season.  Those that know me well, know that this is a very, very difficult thing for me to give up.  

I have had 4 pieces of chocolate since Lent started and those were Valentine's Day treats that were had on that Sunday.  Today, I indulged and had a few thin mints from the freezer.  Those are my indulgence sweets, but the remainder of the thin mints will remain until Easter Sunday - provided I have the willpower to leave them alone that long.  

There are several things I pray for during this Lenten season, and not all of them are for my own peace of mind and benefit.  I pray for those suffering across the world for many reasons, and I pray that love and light soon chase away the darkness that envelops them.   I could list so many more things that I offer up in prayer, but then we would be here all day.  

I am attempting to be more accountable for myself, and ensure that my life is lived in accordance with my beliefs.  This is something I will struggle with, and there are times I will fail.  However, I know there will be those who will hold me accountable and ensure that I once again find  the path that I am meant to take.

I leave you with the hope that your day is filled with blessings, love and light.  

Radio Silence - Broken

Since the last time I have written here quite a bit has happened.  Including in the ushering in of not one, but two new years.  The last two years have not entirely been easy for me, nor have they been completely without hope or bright spots.  Even in the dark, I manage to find some light to cling to in hopes that I do not get swallowed by the hate, negativity, and other malevolent forces that have laid claim to my life at the time. 

I have spent the last few weeks in a bit of retrospect I have learned that I am not devoting enough time to myself.  I give more of myself to others than I truly have at times.  I have been neglecting my passions: writing, photography, and moments of simple indulgence.  I don't do things for myself any more because I have been seeing them as things that aren't important and the resources for those things are more often than not redirected to things for others.  So I have felt completely drained when I should be allowing myself moments to recharge and indulge in me alone.  

I am an avid reader, and I have been attempting to keep up with my review blog, and that has been going well.  Aside from a few slips and a couple of weeks where I have not posted anything save for things that I had committed myself to.  I am behind on reviews, I am behind on quite a few things.  It is time that I stop making excuses and start getting things done that I need to get done.  I am the only one that can be held accountable for the promises that I make.  

Perhaps I take too much on to myself, I have an inability to say no.  I need to learn to use that word a bit more to others and saying yes to myself a bit more.  I need to restart my meditation time, be it in the shower with music blaring, or laying in my bed thirty minutes before bed to center myself and ensure that I am in the right headspace for when I wake in the morning and I can continue to live my life in a way that benefits everyone and especially me.  

In the last six months, I have also become a member at a Christian church.  As you know from reading this blog, I was raised Catholic and ultimately my belief system is much more diverse and cannot be laid claim to a singular label.  I pull from a variety of sources for my spirituality and I am as of yet, finding myself connected with this group of people - however there is quite a bit about me that this group does not know.  

I am a proud member of the LGBT community, and I do not adhere to the views that homosexuality is a sin.  We were all created in the image of a loving deity, and no mater who or what we are...we are loved and adored. 

I need to remember the following things this year and in the years to come: 

1. It is okay to say no

2. I am loved

3. I am allowed me time

4. I cannot solve all the problems

These are just a few of the things I need to remember, but they are by far some of the most important of them.