This Stretched-Out Season

My Lenten Discipline of writing more has not been going well. Obviously. From the 20 day gap in blog posts. I have such little self-discipline, it is shameful. The family giving up fast food has gone swimmingly, though. SuperGirl asked me to come eat lunch with her in the cafeteria yesterday. She gave a big sigh and said, "Other people can eat McDonald's when their parents come. I guess they aren't giving up fast food for Lent....." Then she asked if I could bring her take-out from Olive Garden instead. I compromised and made macaroni and cheese at home and brought it in for her. She told me she explained Lent to her friend Zachary, who goes to church, but had never heard of Lent. She decided she would rather not have Lent, too, since it makes the time before Easter (and Advent before Christmas) "get soooo stretched out." I am finding that the older I get, the more I rely upon the tempo of the liturgical year to bring some order to my days and seasons. Moving through the year with an eye on the church's calendar (not the one hanging in the secretary's office, but the one shared among so many different churches (though apparently not Zachary's)) is soothing and grounding. I admit, however, that I could use another couple of weeks of Lent this particular year, not just to try to wrest some discipline out of my days, but to get ready for Holy Week and Easter. I would love to set up a sort of Stations of the Cross or Maundy Thursday reflection for families, but I don't honestly see it happening this year. Not on a part-time schedule. If I allowed myself to overwork (a tempting thing), I could do it. Maybe I don't love Jesus enough, (aren't we supposed to spend ourselves for the Lord??) but I am trying hard to honor the part-time nature of my call, in fairness to my family, and to whoever might fill this position after me someday.