Start of Lent 2021

 Today is the start of Lent and I have been struggling to figure out changes to make for Lent.  I have decided that as a start I am not going to argue with people on Social Media when they post things that I disagree with.  I have also decided to fast each Friday during lent instead of just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  I am also going to make a concerted effort to attend Mass each Sunday during Lent.  During Covid I have been sporadic in my Mass attendance.  With my Asthma I have been very careful to avoid any situations that might put me at greater risk of catching covid.  I think my Parish has done a good job of mitigating risks to the best of their abilities but there are still times that I do not think it's best for me to attend.  Today is one of those days.  I had planned to attend Mass tonight for Ash Wednesday but have been second guessing that since I have had a bit of drainage that has resulted in a bit of coughing and hacking this afternoon.  I don't think that would be a good thing to do at Church even if I am wearing a mask.  

Giving Up Facebook and Twitter for Lent

Well saying that I am giving up Facebook and Twitter for Lent is easier than actually doing it.  During the first two days there were multiple times where I would look at my iPhone or iPad or open a browser window on my Mac and would go to Facebook and then realize that I was not supposed to be there.  I immediately closed it again so that I was not actually looking at updates but I want to avoid even that for now.  I went back in on my browser one more time and logged out of Facebook so that even if I go to Facebook I am logged out and won't see anything for now.  I also deleted the apps off of my idevices so that I am not tempted there.  It is giving me more time to focus on other things and my life and overall I think this will be a good experience.  I do enjoy interacting with people on Facebook but I also know that there are times when I spend too much time on Facebook.

Start of Lent 2014

Today is the start of Lent and I have decided to make some changes for Lent that will get me to spend more time offline and rely less on technology.  I am a big fan of Technology and I spend more time than I should checking things like Facebook and Twitter.  I have decided to give up Facebook and Twitter for Lent.  This won't be any easy thing for me to do.  I do enjoy interacting with friends on Facebook but think that going without it for this time will help me focus on other things.  Twitter is also something that i will miss.  I follow quite a few people for announcements on programs that I use and find some interesting things there.

Lent is not all about giving things up though.  I am also using the time to focus more on how I treat people and and what kind of choices that I make in my life.  I am like everyone else in that I am not perfect.  I try to be a good person and make good choices but there are some times that I do or say things that I am not really proud of and I want to do that less.

Start of Lent

This Lent I am making a concerted effort to focus on things that will make my life better.  I am going to try and make it to Mass more often and to concentrate on making changes that will improve my personal and professional life.  Father Pat made a good point at Mass last night during his Homily.  Lent really is a time to refocus on things that we want to make better.  There is a certain assumption that you have the foundation for whatever you want to make better but you are just not satisfied with where that aspect of your life is currently.  I will be the first to admit that I do not make Mass every week.  Too often I let other things get in the way and don't make the effort that I should.  I want to change that.  It's an important part of my life and I need to make time for it.  That in turn will help me make better choices in my life overall as I feel better about my faith which is the foundation for everything else I do.