 I am an East Coast expatriate hiding out in the Midwest... I am an urban gal living in the suburbs and occasionally hiding in the country I am a yoga practitioner, fitness enthusiast, believer in the mind-body-spirit connection... I am a mid-life "revert" to the Roman Catholic faith in which I was raised and which has become an enormous source of support, encouragement, inspiration, and joy in my life... I am a mom, sister, daughter, and wife... I am an explorer; adventurous and curious about the world and people around me... I am educated in the formal sense but I gain insight through everyday living... I created this blog at a time of great fear and apprehension in my life. I chose to sustain it because of the discoveries about myself and the world around me that it has revealed. What you can expect to find here: the documentation of a love-hate relationship with the greater Philadelphia area
reminiscing about the good-ole-days (the 80's!)
complaints about my various ailments and injuries, both real and imagined
pictures and stories of gardening, decorating, shopping, sewing
my love of irony
links to kooky news stories
way too much scatological musing for sane people
|
 |
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Dear Jesus, please heal the sick, feed the hungry, and help me find the perfect metallic leather bag for spring...
"Yet even now," says Yahweh, "turn to me with all your heart,
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning."
Tear your heart, and not your garments,
and turn to Yahweh, your God;
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
and relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2: 12-13 If you are out and about and see someone with a big smudge on their forehead, don't offer them a tissue! Today is Ash Wednesday - a special day of prayer and fasting for certain Christan sects that ushers in the season of Lent. Today at Mass, the portion of the above cited reading that was emphasized in the homily was "all your heart" (also translated as "your whole heart.")
I like the idea of approaching the relative newness (and thus, abundance of opportunity) of this year with full capacity of sentiment, emotion, effort, and thought.
Ok, THAT quasi-piety out of the way, I can now comment on the part of this reading that always makes me snicker:Tear your heart, and not your garments...
Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I am very exacting and deliberate with my choices of clothing, accessories and such. It took me a LONG time to really develop a sense of purposefullness in my personal style; and I'm not talking about "fashion" per se. Rather, I used to be a bargain hound who focused on labels and pricetags and relative value. I used to have all sorts of mismatched and rarely-worn garments and accessories (shoes, bags, etc.) in my closet and streaming out of my dresser, which have finally ended up in a donation pile for a local thrift store. Instead of quantity, I have honed in on quality and fit as the top qualifiers for my personal purchase-ability. So this year, I am continuing with my trend of watchfulness and waiting - not choosing on the spot because of an incredible markdown.
I am also beginning to choose items that may be FULL PRICE but that I feel will fill a very practical (yet fabulous) niche in my wardrobe. So I am not just using my WHOLE HEART to shop anymore - also my whole WALLET!
|
