It is Lent again. I pretty much feel like it completely snuck up on me this year! Last year I had recipes stocked, supplies for my kids and I had done lots of reading about what was to come.
Not so much this year. With 5 kids, me in classes and Josh working overtime, I just haven't had time to prepare. But that's okay, because Lent arrived, whether I was ready or not!
I have to say, Forgiveness Vespers was still so amazing this year! There is just something completely humbling to ask forgiveness of all of your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. It was really special this year getting to forgive our first ever Godchildren. Never would have dreamed that one! If you don't know about Forgiveness Vespers, make sure to check out my post from last year (our first experience) here.
I did remember last year reading about something called Clean Monday. The date had already passed, so I missed it, but I stuck it in the back of my mind to tackle this year. With no advance planning really needed, I knew we could give it a try. Basically, the concept is to deep clean your home as you prepare for some deep cleaning of the soul. It's only been about 5 years since this house was deep cleaned, so it was getting to be about time :)
I did have some high expectations of the day. The house was all going to be sparkling when we were done, and yes "we." The whole family was going to clean, probably while we lovingly sang hymns together.....
But what really happened was this:
1. The 3 babies cried all night. It was a tough night! We had to divide and conquer. Josh ended up with one set of babies, I took another and we were still both up much of the night. So my goal of getting up at 6:30am to get a head start on the day did NOT happen. I begrudgingly got out of bed at 8:30am and stumbled through getting breakfast and coffee.
Thank you, God, for the reminder that I'm not in control. And that regardless, Your way is the right way and the day still even greater rewards than I imagined!
2. Once I got down to the nitty gritty in the kitchen, I realized...this would not be a one day job. We would be lucky to get the kitchen done. And you know what, we didn't even get that done. I scrubbed all the cabinets, all the walls, cleaned out the oven and wiped down all the blinds. It was a very tedious job. I still wanted to tackle the fridge and microwave, even just have clean counter tops. But at the end of the day, Josh and I are pleased with the work that was accomplished.
Thank you, God, for the reminder that no matter what my expectations are of Lent, I probably won't meet half of them. 40 days is just not long enough to clean out my entire soul. I will get some good work done, and the work will be tedious. And I pray that by the end of Lent, God will be pleased with the work that was accomplished.
3. I was actually pretty surprised at how helpful my oldest two were. They were pretty excited to be helping to clean and that it was an "Orthodox thing." I probably over estimated there cleaning abilities, but I was thankful for the teaching opportunities we had today and hopefully a wonderful tradition has been started. The three youngest on the other hand....I just had these visions of them with dust rags in their hands, merrily wiping down the baseboards. Instead, they screamed and fought all day and I did a lot of cleaning with a baby on my lap...or two.
Thank you, God, for the reminder that I need to live my life as an example to my children in everything that I do. That even though there are good tasks to be done, the task is not the most important thing. My kids are. And loving them through this whole process of Lent is very important. It's also important to teach them the heart and spirit of Lent, and I was very thankful to be able to do that today.
4. Josh and I worked ALL DAY LONG! It was tiring. We got dirty. And at the end of it, you really can't tell we did anything at all. Unless you lived here, you really wouldn't notice the missing food and milk on the walls or all the dust off the blinds or the drips off the cabinets. But we do! And it sure does feel nice to have them gone!
Thank you, God, for the reminder that throughout this process of Lent, no one but me will see the work being done. No one really should see the work being done. I am so thankful for the time you gave me today to do totally monotonous chores that gave me the opportunity to pray and think about the fall of Adam and what that means in my life. Thank you for the slow process to help me see the cleansing that needs to take place in my soul.
I am really looking forward to this Lent. I've gotten to the point where I crave the spiritual growth. I need a time of purging the soul and renewing the heart. Last year I felt as if I was merely going through the motions trying to grasp all I could to understand what this new thing called "Lent" was all about. This year I am ready to be transformed. Thank you, God!
