dual personalities

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Can you believe it? Lent starts tomorrow.

You will recall that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because in the olden days they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. So Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday”, refers to the practice of going all out on the last night of eating richer, fatty foods and over-drinking before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. (Liturgical fasting emphasizes eating plainer food and refraining from food that would “give pleasure.”) It is not my vibe, of course, and I have to say, it even embarrassed me to look at the pictures in The Riverfront Times of our hometown revelry.

Well, we’ll go over to church after work for some pancakes and camaraderie–sans revelry. Then we’ll head home to watch more Olympics. I DVR them and then fast forward through the commercials.

We watched quite a bit of cross country skiing over the weekend. You have to love a sport that is still so dominated by Norwegians. The same goes for those orange-wearing Netherlanders and speed skating.

I love our American athletes, but we don’t have to win everything.

Enjoy your Tuesday. As George Herbert wrote:

… It’s true, we cannot reach Christ’s fortieth day;

Yet to go part of that religious way,

Is better than to rest:

We cannot reach our Savior’s purity;

Yet are bid, Be holy ev’n as he.

In both let’s do our best.

–from “Lent”

Do your best!