Lent

It has been a challenge to find meaningful ways to celebrate the Lenten season and Easter with small children. The idea of asking them to give up something for forty days doesn’t compute with small, attached, sticky hearts and you don’t want acts of faith to feel like acts of punishment. Also, spending weeks on end discussing Jesus nailed to the cross (in typical boy fashion, Ben finds the crucifixion pictures in our kids’ Bible fascinating, squinting to really see those nails) places the focus on dark images that are beyond their understanding (sometimes ours too). 

We were thrilled to learn the great plan of our friends here, the Young family, who devised a meaningful, kid-friendly way to celebrate this time of year. Each week of Lent focuses on a theme that as a family you learn about and act on together, with a focus on how Jesus calls us to each of these themes. We adapted a list of themes for our family and the first week, “Giving to Those in Need,” was met with great success. The kids were excited, serious and moved to action in brilliant ways that humbled our smudged and sometimes cranky hearts.

Clara on her own initiative, emptied the entire contents of her beloved piggybank to give to, “people that don’t have food and don’t have homes.” Ben gave about a third of his piggy bank stash, but wanted to be sure to hold back enough so, “the whole family can ride the Ferris Wheel in Santa Monica this summer.”  Clara was excited all week about emptying her strawberry coin purse into the five-cents-a-meal metal buckets placed at the altar on Sunday morning, but as we were pulling up her knee socks and heading out the door to church, she had a moment of hesitation.  Did she really want to give it all away? Leah didn't say much, she just told her to bring her purse with her to church and she could decide what she wanted to do. As the opening hymn began, the  sanctuary filled with song, Clara walked up to the front and held up the line for a few minutes as she shook and shook her coins into the bucket, making sure not a penny was left behind.

This theme led to thoughtful dinnertime discussions about different kinds of need— it could be someone who is lonely, sick, scared, or without food and shelter.  We asked Ben what was the number one thing he needed in life and his quick answer, “Cuddles!” For the record— Clara’s answer, “Dinner.”

We went shopping as a family and then assembled treat bags for The Corner Table, our local soup kitchen.  Our friend Mimi is the coordinator there and she told us that more and more preschool age kids were coming in for meals and that a small surprise would be a wonderful way to make these little ones feel more comfortable.  We were shocked when the kids did not whine or ask for any treats for themselves.  Watching Ben and Clara accept these duties of love and faith with completeness of heart, made our own personal mental lists of whining and desires fade and suddenly feel shallow and silly.

This time of year is busy with birthdays, springtime celebrations, visitors and visits along with extra church activities.  How incredible that this one simple poster on the fridge has managed to focus our thoughts and intentions in ways that are meaningful to all of us. 

As we now focus on the theme of “Thankful Hearts” we easily recognize the abundance of ways our needs have been met and look outward to find ways to say thank you.  Thank you Casa Watson readers, for sharing in the life of our family and making the miles between all of us seem so much smaller. We love you, appreciate you and thank God for your faithful friendship and love.

Clara giving her brother a much needed hug in the bounce house.