Tuesday, March 15

Pretzels for Lent

Lent is such a rich time, but I'm restless this year.  Coming into the season, my thought was that the best discipline would be to set aside expectations for this time.  I'm not sure why I feel this way, perhaps because it is because of how homesick I am for family, or just the general restlessness of coming to the end of this third year of a PhD program knowing we have another one to go... or perhaps just because? 

I made a chain again this year (okay, so I've only made the first half, but I'll get the rest on before we get too much farther), but I didn't write scripture passages on it.  We are hoping to read through a gospel together as a family, but I'm holding even that loosely.  

I'm enjoying doing small things to remind us it is lent (baking, simple prayers, noticing the purple cloth on the godly play table) and letting go of my bigger plans (Making Jerusalem out of boxes and finishing our lenten tree ornaments).  

This week we baked pretzels.  Pretzels are a lenten tradition that may date back to around 300 AD.  They are said to have been formed by a monk who wanted to remind the eaters that Lent is a time of prayer.  You can read more about the tradition here.   Jonah enjoyed shaping and salting them, and he enjoyed eating them even more.  

3 comments:

Rachel Stone said...

yummy! we had such fun making pretzels a little while ago--great idea for a lenten activity with little ones.

alison said...

I've been feeling very restless as well these past couple of months. I suspect it's because I want to know what we'll be doing once Steve passes the CPA exam this year. We've come so far, but now there's just a little bit to go and it seems the hardest! I enjoy reading your Lenten thoughts.

Storyteller said...

It took me more than one visit to connect your blog's new look with the relatively new church season we find ourselves in. Beautiful!