Food

Depending on how it is appraised, this has been the worst Lent since I became Orthodox. The only part of the fast I have kept perfectly is the alcohol part. And wouldn't you know, the the foods with which I've broken the fast have been yucky fast food when I was just trying to get the kids to stop whining (Anselm) and crying (Basil)? I think that this might be my least favorite thing about being a parent. The boys just do not have the patience to go shopping, come home and put away the groceries, and then wait for me to fix a nice meal. And I am usually not thoughtful enough to buy snacks. So for those reasons, but essentially, it is just poor planning, I have broken the fast several times at the Burger King drive-through window. And then there are the prayers. My prayer life has totally sucked all through this Lent. I think I've only done "evening prayers" 3 or 4 times in the last month. I've only done Vespers at home one time. I've only done Matins at home once. And I still have a kitchen of dirty dishes, and two boys who need to be taken to the park, and laundry all before vigil tonight. But thank God for Vigil. Just the thought of it makes me happy and even now I am weeping at the thought of being backwhere I belong. I am so homesick for that rite, the God I meet there.

Well, this post was supposed to be about food. Particularly, it was supposed to be about the prospect of eating salmon after Liturgy of the Annunciation tomorrow and somehow I was going to tie it in with this collection of foodie-book reviews in the Wall Street Journal. But it didn't turn out that way.