Image: Barbara Ryther
The Journey
This year I think I’ve given up enough
To last at least a decade’s worth of Lent.
And yet the calendar goes on.
The journey asks: who are you now?
Who are you called to be?
Facing mortality, taking time to be quiet,
Looking ahead in penitence and hope.
But giving up? Not now.
I am not giving up…
And I do not need to sacrifice to remember.
Instead, I will give, and leave the “up” behind.
I’ll give…
A loaf of homemade bread,
A second chance,
A word of encouragement,
A phone call to a lonely friend.
A bag of outgrown clothes.
I’ll give..
My time. My talents, My treasure.
Not just for now. Not just for forty days.
I hope…
– Melanie Kyer