I’ve had this blog account set up for a few years and have failed to add any content.  I figured Lent was a good reason to push me toward making my blogging dreams come to life.  Although, I’m not sure a 40-day series about suffering is going to be so exciting it will attract many readers; however, I want to assure everyone up front that I promise to make fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as entertaining as possible.

Today was Mardi Gras, a.k.a. Fat Tuesday and I missed out on celebrating.  I woke up with a terrible tummy ache which made me feel like I was going to poop my pants or barf with any sudden movement.  So, no Kings Cake for me, this year.  And if you’re Catholic and follow the traditional rules of fasting on Ash Wednesday, you know how brutal that can be.  Normally, I feel fairly secure about going into that day of starvation because I’m sick from all the “Gras” in my “Mardi” the day before.  Umm, not this year.  Yikes.  All I could stomach today was some  tea, water, and a bland turkey sandwich, so I’m headed into tomorrow at a deficit.  Prepare the masses for a very cranky Chelsea.

What is Lent in a nutshell? Lent is a 40-day journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  People who aren’t Catholic typically assume we (Catholics) give something up during that time, but it’s so much more than that.  It’s about taking things on, like extra prayer; giving more, like feeding the needy; and sacrificing something of comfort to remind us of Christ’s sufferings as he prepared for his crucifixion.

So, here is what I am doing this year for Lent:

• Going to bed at 10 PM every night
• Waking up at 5 AM every morning
• 10 minute morning prayer time
• 10 minute bedtime prayer time
• Journal (blog) about my Lenten journey
• Giving a dollar for every cuss word I say to the poor (Poverty Pennies for the Poor — explained in a future blog post)

That’s it.  It all starts at 5 AM tomorrow morning.  I’m stoked…and when I say “stoked” I mean totally not stoked.  But, it’s been a while since I really sacrificed some things for Lent and it’s time to enrich my experience for this period of time and reconnect with Christ.

Pray for me over the next 40 days that I may connect more deeply with God and I will pray for you to do the same.  Good night and God bless you!