FEBRUARY 18 - APRIL 5, 2026

For the next 6 weeks....

I will be focusing on Lent and these six themes:

Penance

Fasting

Prayer

Sacrifice

Reconciliation

Almsgiving

The world is a mess...

and I am not talking politics. I am talking the people inhabiting the earth.

Everywhere.

I am taking my Lent serious this year...

probably more serious than I ever have before.

Because as I see it....

if I don't do my part I will regret it. When I meet my maker I want to know I did my very, level best.

I am so happy that so many of you took me up on my request for your prayer intentions.

I have a 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock that I have in the back of my prayer binder and it is filled on one side with tiny handwritten names and intentions for many people who have contacted me. 

And of course...

intentions of mine.

Rest assured....I WILL BE PRAYING DILIGENTLY.

As I am called to do, to lift up my neighbor, to love my neighbor, as myself.

**Side Note** 

I had some people ask me what a prayer journal is. Here is what mine is...I can't tell you what other people do, but here is what I do:

I have a 3 ring binder.

I have prayers I want to say every day, I print them out and put them in sleeves, add them to my binder.

I have intentions that people have asked me to pray for written out and put in my binder. I add pages as needed so that I can write more when people give me more to pray for, or if I need to remember my intentions I jot them down.

I have paper in my binder where I do a Daily Examen and journal about it.

I read my bible and when something in my heart is moved by the Word, I stop, meditate and write what I'm thinking and feeling. (Lectio Divina) Praying with scripture is something that Pope Leo XIV has asked the faithful to do more of in the year 2026. I'm listening to him and trying really hard to do just what he asks.

That's it - just me, some prayers, a bible, some intentions and a pen and some paper.

I am giving up all computer access except my Lenten Program App I am participating in and watching daily mass with Fr. Michael O'Conner in St. Louis Bay Mississippi. (I love him.)

I *will* still be responding to e-mails - so if you want to send me prayer requests I have a whole backside of a 8.5 x 11 inch piece of cardstock blank and ready to be filled. PLUS I have a whole pack of cardstock ready if I should need more. 

I am praying.

I am fasting.

I am reading my bible. 

I will be trying to attend at *least* weekly evening Adoration on Tuesday.

I am hopeful to attend Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings at my parish.

Watching Mass Daily and attending with Cora at our parish, as I can - it is hard to get to daily mass with a toddler that doesn't really want to be there, but I do try. 

I'll be back on Easter Monday, April 6....which is the due date of my new grand-daughter....

I'm betting she will be here before then. 

If you would be so kind to pray that Katie delivers Maisy safely and that Mama and baby are healthy.

 If I can convince you at all - please, embrace this time, don't waste it. Our world needs prayer. My priest said this past weekend the most successful Lent comes when you focus on small attainable things. Do one HARD thing and one EASY thing every day and you will arrive at Easter Sunday better than you were Ash Wednesday.

 I want to do everything I listed above, and I do most of it already...but my rock solid what I am doing is:

My one HARD thing for me is: Fasting. I love food. So...I'm giving it up for Lent. In the bible it says, there is nothing more powerful than prayer with fasting. I'm taking that seriously. I will be eating one meal, every day. Period. The rest of the time. Water. No soda. I'm a Pepsi Zero junkie. It's gonna be hard. But you know what - I can do it.

My one EASY thing is reading the bible. I love to read my bible and think on the words of Jesus. He talks to me when I do so - Right to my heart.

All my love to you all...

*peace*