Margaret Felice

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Media
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Performances
    • Upcoming Speaking Events
  • Speaking
  • Publications
  • Performance
    • Biography
    • Repertoire
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

A Lent of Less

March 5, 2019 · Filed Under: faith · Tagged With: faith, Lent, liturgical calendar, prayer, reading, singing, writing

Around this time a few years ago I was trudging through winter weather to get to a rehearsal on a weeknight and I thought to myself “It’s amazing that we ask the same things of ourselves during cold New England winters as we do during the summers.”

There is a reason some animals hibernate. The winter takes a lot out of you.

journal and penA few weeks ago I had “February vacation”, a week of break after President’s Day which I have always enjoyed in New England. I caught up on writing projects, submitting an article and book proposal. I did ALL of the reading for a course I am taking online, not only as much as I thought I could get away with. I made some recordings. And when I got sick midweek, I spent long days at home, sitting by a sunny window, reading when I could, resting when I couldn’t.

As we embark on another Lent, that is what is on my mind. Though I have always taken Lent seriously, I try not to see it as a test of endurance. I listen to my body and my heart when it feels like the sacrifices we don’t choose are enough. I take on sacrifices in order to make space. This year, fatigued with the winter and all of the tasks of life, I value this space more than ever.

This year (and I think of my year as September – September, bound as I am, joyfully, to the academic year), I have had a few things that have taken up a lot of space in my head. I launched a huge website redesign for a non-profit. We moved. I could go on and list a hundred other tasks I have taken on, but that would feed in to the obsession with “more”, when I want to focus on “less”.

This Lent, I hope to read fewer “hot takes” and more books. I hope to take long walks to think and pray. I hope to ignore my phone and sit at the piano for hours. I hope to write fewer tweets and more long passages of prayer (and perhaps even write things that are just between me and God). I hope to give my attention to the few people who I am closest to, who rely on me, rather than hoping to impress the masses. I hope to sit in front of a blank page, with no pressure to fill it. I hope that my restrictions of food and drink free up more time and space in my life to meditate and find freedom.

I hope to make space, and to see how God comes creeping in.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Related

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More about Margaret

Subscribe to Blog

Sign up to get my posts delivered to your inbox.
How often would you like to receive updates?

Recent Posts

  • What I read, 2022
  • Finding Lady’s Wells
  • A place for grief to go
  • Post-op
  • Eating a tomato sandwich in October

Topics I’ve Written About:

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Biography
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Media
  • Performance
  • Publications
  • Repertoire
  • Speaking

Search

© 2023 Margaret Felice · Headshots by Earl Christie · Website by Little Leaf Design