This timely meditation was written by Robin Razzino, 

Associate Rector at the Church of the Redeemer in Bethesda, MD.

Like many of you, I awoke today to a beautiful snowy morning. Growing up in southern Virginia, snow days were relatively rare. Because I hadn't grown up with them, I found snow days to be exotic and eagerly anticipated! I may even have been known to wear my pajamas inside out as a thirty-something professional. I would do just about anything if it guaranteed a free "this won't count as vacation" day off.

Then when it was time for my pre-ordination retreat, I headed up to Boston to attend a silent retreat at the then snow-covered Society of Saint John the Evangelist. Snow was everywhere and that corner of the universe offered the silence and stillness I was seeking.

Time off and silence. I have for so long associated these two gifts with a winter snow...How awesome to be able to spend this day in quiet contemplation, meditating on how God is calling me to observe Lent this year!

Yes, I may have actually had that thought... if I was me about five years ago. Instead, my current reality - in the form of a three-year-old ball of energy - roared into my bedroom this morning like a blizzard on steroids.

 It turns out I wouldn't be spending the day in quiet contemplation. I wouldn't even have twenty minutes of meditation time in the morning to pray. Not that I have had that or twenty minutes to pray at night in three years. Not that I have had that or ten minutes to do the "all you need for a perfect body workout" as seen on TV. Or the twenty minutes it takes to just throw ingredients in a crockpot for a delicious, well-balanced meal your three-year-old and one-year-old will beg you to cook again. Or the five minutes you are supposed to spend with your spouse or partner staring lovingly into each other's eyes to maintain the intimacy that will last until you are parted by death. Or the five minutes you should spend doing crossword puzzles or other mind games to stave off dementia...

You get the idea. It seems you just need to "do ten minutes of x or y" and your life - including your prayer life - will be awesome. But it never seems to work that way. As I sit on this snowy day thinking about Lent and how I might intentionally seek God in this season, I am hit again with a lot of time-consuming options - not to mention a lot of woulds, coulds, and shoulds.

These are never helpful.

So I remind myself of the wisdom offered by those who counsel just being intentional and open to God in the midst of our crazy lives. For those of us who have to balance parenting and prayer (and work and love and health and...) it seems the best we can do, rather than set aside time for another activity, is set aside expectations (our own and others) and live, pray, and ponder in the moment as we are able.

In her book called In the Midst of Chaos: Caring for Children as Spiritual Practice, Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore writes a beautiful reflection on Mary and her (prayerful) act of pondering. As I live into my vocations as (parent) and priest, I find her words comforting. I hope you do too.

She says, "Pondering in one's heart...emphasizes the wisdom found within and through one's passions and actions. Keeping thoughts in one's heart means keeping them at the core of one's being. Wisdom is located at the juncture of physical desire and mental aspiration - not when one transcends the body and world... Pondering connects thought and action (48)." She goes on to suggest that "Through her pondering, Mary becomes one of the first theologians of the Christian tradition, turning over and over in her mind just who this child is and what God has to do with it. She does so in the very midst of her mothering - not when she moves away from it all (49)."

After over four decades, the needlepoint altar rail kneelers are in desperate need of cleaning and new cushions.  Since we are in the liturgical season of Lent, and to further engage our eyes and ears and knees for our journey with Jesus to the cross, this seemed the best time to send them away for renewal. 

We are also looking for information folks have about this needlepoint project...people involved, etc.  Please contact Fr. Derek with any information you can provide!