Meatless days ahead

It's lent season again, time to make a sacrifice in exchange for a minor miracle. I've never participated during Lent in the past but because this feels so right maybe it just wasn't the right time then. Its not that I'm any more knowledgeable about it today but what lead me to participate is the spiritual connection that it has all around the world. I can't tell you that the difference between church identities or why and how they became divided; all of that is too much for me to encompass right now so to keep on point and to keep my focus, all I know is that its time to abstain.

The seed was planted near end of last year when I received a email asking me to list 12 things that I'd like to achieved in 2012 and so after spending some time pondering over the list of several things one item on my list of doable, conceivable and measurable tasks was to give up something for Lent. At the time I had no clue of what I wanted to give up but I knew it had something to do with food.

With food I have a loving and  not so loving relationship. I enjoy eating lots of different foods. I  watch the Food Network Channel, The Cooking Channel, Chopped, Master Chef, Hell's Kitchen and any other reality cooking show that is available. Just by watching those shows I've learned how to cook with fresher ingredients and have made some changes to the way that I prepare my meals and now I seldom use any can foods unless its a tomato sauce or alike. I've moved away from table salt replacing it with sea or kosher salts, I've even become brave aenough to try smoked salt (yummy) and  I'm also learning to use a variety of herbs and spices. I hope I took good notes because I'll need to rely on them for the next 30 something days.

You see, I've decided to give up meat for Lent yep that's right, meat. That means no more of those famous sirloin or turkey burgers from the Greene Cafe', no more tender Delmonico steaks and not even a chicken wing shall cross these lips until the day after early April. I started my meat fast on Wednesday and oh'boy It wasn't easy those first few days and by the weekend I had fallen prey to a famous sirloin burger but much to my credit I felt guilty and haven't fallen since.

So from here on out when you are sitting at the dinner table enjoying that favorite cut of your most moist and tender meat choice, think of me and say a quick prayer...not that prayer about "Lawd she don't know what she's missin'" but more like "lord please shorten her meat cravings" ... :-)

As I close, just as they do in church I must have a cyber alter call: Is there one that will join me on this journey willing to learn the lesson of abstinence that awaits, one that is willing to surrender that thing or habit willing to lay it down until April 8, willing to pray through the cravings as strength and courage is added daily. Is there one?