Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.
My vision for this Lenten season is a time of refocusing my heart and my family.
I always enjoy participating in giving up something I like/enjoy for Lent. usually Mike and I give up some type of food. This year I have decided to give up all the negativities in my life.
This has been a difficult past few months for me; trying to balance out my full schedule of work, school, and family in addition to being faced with negative situations that made me recognize bitterness and anger within me. It is that bitterness and anger that I want to root out, to give up, replace with a giving heart and gentle spirit, which I know makes the true me. With that as the foundation, I purpose also to use this season as a time of cultivating more of my heart in my relationships, and in particular my marriage and children. We all face problems in our everyday lives. Problems can be frustrating, depressing, and can really slow us down on our journey to success. Problems are a great place to start when starting a new chapter in your life and can be opportunities in disguise.
These are just some of the things I will focus on over the next 40 days:
1. Focus. By focus, I mean that I focus on the family. I really find that I enjoy my kids and motherhood in general a lot more when I stop trying to get so much else done. Yes, I have to keep the house clean and my family fed, but when I spend most of my time just caring for and playing with the kids, we all have a better day (even when the sink’s full of dishes).
2. Patience. I’m really, really working on this one. The funny thing about patience is, of course, that even once you’ve become more patient, you get to “work” on it your whole life. It’s not like you just magically wave a wand and nothing ever upsets you again—even if it’s less frequent, our patience isn’t always perfect in this life.
3. Appreciation. Stresses and challenges don’t seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in your life. I am blessed with a great husband, healthy children, awesome parents, siblings, and some REALLY good friends. Taking time to stop and appreciate all the good things you have make a huge difference.
I’m far from perfect—and honestly, I know I won’t become perfect in this life, and certainly not by my own power—but when I do these three things, I enjoy life more!
Trust me; I have more than enough to get me by the next 40 days and probably beyond. You will have to check back with me in a few weeks to see how I'm really doing!
How will you use this Lenton season?