Lent 4

For several years I've felt that in my Christian tradition Easter gets second billing to Christmas, which doesn't seem right, as Christ's death and resurrection are just as important as His incarnation. This has happened partly because secular Western culture treats Christmas as the big event of the year, whether or not one celebrates religiously, spending a lot of time and money on things my children annually look forward to--parties, decorations, special food, presents, and family traditions. I didn't grow up observing Lent, but I've found that marking the season, as I do with Advent, helps me to better appreciate Christ's passion and resurrection, and it seems to be helping my girls, too. This year Sophia asked if we were going to have the same special treats I'd made for Sundays during Lent in years past (Western Christians traditionally break their Lenten fast on Sundays, as mini versions of the big celebration coming on Easter Sunday.). And we're trying new ideas, too, like this one I got from jeannewinters.com, which the girls enjoyed helping me create. I think it will become a tradition we revisit in future years.