I started worrying about this yesterday, while I was still on my sugar fast. I didn’t want to be caught woefully unprepared. No milk, no cheese, no butter, no cream. And so many of the things I was doing without yesterday, I would be without again today. Oh well. Part of it.

I planned my day, thinking of my poor friend who has gone without dairy for many years. Sure, she can take a pill, but it’s still uncomfortable, and probably not great for her gut. So she does without, and makes do with soy substitutes. As I will be.

Avocado toast for breakfast. All is well, as long as I don’t use butter to fry my egg. √  yes, that’s a square root symbol because WordPress makes everything super difficult. 

I’m meeting momma Robin at Graze{ http://www.grazeburgers.com/} for lunch today, and I’m kinda wigging out about what I can eat. Naturally, the cheddar on my cheeseburger is out. So I’ll be having a regular burger. And no onion rings, because the batter probably has milk. The burger I would order under normal circumstances, the Tennessee, comes with bacon jam has Gouda cheese and onion rings. I ordered the standard burger. I realized I forgot to tell him no cheese as they set my tray down in front of me. Robin suggested I scrape it off. My friend wouldn’t be able to, and I tell her so. I open the bun and see it wouldn’t have mattered, anyway. Their Graze sauce is saturated into the bun.

I have broken Lent.

And so it is in this way that today becomes no chocolate day instead. I can still pray for my good friend, that her various ills be cured, and that her father’s kidney disease will not progress any further. She is stalwart and assertive with her health concerns. She adjusts and adapts and I have yet to see anything that will slow her down. In fact, I think she just tries that much harder. She is the picture of determination. And I admire her.

• “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” ~3 John 1:2
• Exodus 15:26 —“For I am the Lord who heals you.”
• James 5:16 —“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~Isaiah 41:10
• “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” ~Jeremiah 33:6

She encourages so many others in their journey towards better health and is a cheerleader for all things she believes in. Like all good Southern girls, she loves her Daddy and loves the Lord and trusts them implicitly. I would not want to fight her in a battle of will or words. I would not want to fight her at all, because her eyes, while piercing, also hold a vulnerability. So Lord, if you would, please protect her, and let her know when she has met an obstacle that you must help her to overcome. Please don’t let her push herself too far, become so focused on a goal she loses sight of the big picture- Happiness and Faith in You. I pray for her father to overcome this disease they have labeled upon him, and also for her mother, Lord, who has always been a good steward of yours, that battles severe back pain daily. May she also know her boundaries, when she is doing too much for others and needs to nurture herself. May this family be blessed and comforted by you, Lord. By Jesus’s stripes they will be healed. Thank you for bringing her into my life and blessing me. In God’s name we pray.

It’s hard to find things for Lent. I already make my bed every morning, and I LIKE going without shoes. I should sacrifice part of my time for a good work, but I rarely see anything worth contributing to, honestly. I don’t want to enable an already crooked service. Maybe I should work on MY heart some more, so I could see the underlying good faith. I can practice more charitable works within myself, I know this. I’ve taken up yoga for a more spiritual line of corrective thought. I’m trying not to cuss (I’ve caught myself three or four times already, but at least I’m being proactive about it). My time on social media has taken a plunge, and my TV hasn’t been on in a week. By popular choices I’ve found on Google that leaves: Going without a pillow or bed, cold showers, no makeup, not looking in a mirror, going without a meal a day, putting a rock in my shoe, reading more scripture….It’s exhausting but I believe I’m getting to the right place for me. My awareness is more pointed than it was three days ago. I feel a bit more empathetic about many people who have health concerns and food allergies. It takes some researching to find things you are able to eat! This is something I’ve never gave one moment of thought to. And so. I will go ahead and end here today, there should be no danger of me consuming chocolate. Go forward, and be blessed, dear reader.