Soup Night

Wednesday nights are Soup Nights during Lent. Different groups at church bring soups that can be shared before the Lenten services. Tonight I made cabbage carrot soup for cleansing. I put ginger in it to give it flavor and boy is it spicy! It tastes a lot like the coconut soup at a Thai restaurant. The impetus to make this soup was that at my work we are competing in our own version of the "Biggest Loser." We are teamed up each week with a different partner and we weigh in on Wednesday to see what percentage of weight each team has lost. This week's winning team's secret: CABBAGE SOUP! So I am embarking on the second week armed with my own version of cabbage soup. I used purple cabbage since purple is the color of Lent. It looks like I may have started a new tradition for my family. We might end up calling this our Lenten soup. It is after all, a great cleanser. I am really getting into the mode this year, cleansing mind, body, and soul. I have made it to the gym every night sans Wednesday when I go to Confirmation class with my boy.

Cleansing my spirit seems to be the most difficult. I am constantly engaged in turmoil this time of year. We call it March Madness. I think the weather is really starting to get to everyone, including me. As the arguments increase, I am reminded that it is no easy to task to walk the path of peace. However, today I did notice mini miracles that keep me trying. Strained relationships showed signs of healing, a co-worker shared her joy about being able to teach about God. She had come from a school (private not public) where it was not permitted . To be able to point her finger at the target that we are trying to hit really strikes her as a miracle. While we always fall short, we at least have in view of what we are shooting for. Imagine, pointing kids aimlessly, without a clear role model. Sure we could point them to the president, the Pope, the principal, but they will fall short just as we do. So Jesus gives these kids a real hero to follow. To be able to talk about Him is a miracle.

Soup nights are great because it takes us out of the routine of preparing meals and brings us to the table to reflect on a time when society did not have the liberties that we do. It gives us pause to bring about peace. It is a great way to start a diet of the mind, spirit, and body. To bring myself back to the center.