40 notes to 40 people in 40 days.
It’s not a typical Lenten practice — although I can identify pieces of the big three Lent ideas of fasting, prayer, and giving in what I’ve done. I was a little worried before I began — and along the way — that this practice would turn into a chore. There were a few moments of that “chore mentality,” but above all, this spiritual practice left me feeling refreshed and energized. I think I know why.
Writing handwritten notes every day provided for moments of reflection and meditation that made me think a little less about the things that were stressing me out or dragging me down on a particular day — and helped me to focus on others. Writing these notes actually helped me to let go of some of those worries and anxiety of life and let God handle them.
I would focus on this practice and God could have all the rest. Easier said than done some days, but it was a start to a little less “me” and a lot more God.
Most of the day is about me — my commute to work, my job, my husband, my social life, my outfit, my Instagram, my Facebook, my Twitter, my health, my worries, etc. You get the idea. Now, it’s important to take care of your health, to be good at — and satisfied with — your job, to spend time with the people who are important to you. But I think life’s about finding a balance between the me — and everything else.
One way I’ve been noticing the everything else is with the practice of writing these notes and then writing about them. I’ve made room in my life and in my heart for something else — and that meant letting go of some of my selfish and even negative tendencies.
This led me to reflect on the idea of emptying myself out to make room for more of the divine — for love, understanding, and joy. Being less me is some of the hard work of Lent. It’s the hard work of life.
Less of me. More of God and others. For where there is less, there will actually be more.
We also see a similar impossibility in the Easter story — that where there is death, there will be life. Now that’s a message we can all cling to today, and tomorrow, and every day after. Happy Easter.
