LENT

Lent is here and no matter how you celebrate it, it has deep and embedded meaning. Those who partake in the observation of Lent appear to be aware of the act of sacrifice. Not only that, a ritual may be performed to where a soul cleanses its vessel and spirit. But, what about free-will and strength? The tradition of Lent in such religions as Christianity is often affiliated with the story of Jesus Christ, who resisted temptation from the so-called Devil.

No matter how one celebrates changes, like those found in seasons, it is an important aspect for one to reflect upon his or hers present situations. Reflection is often key to understanding one's self, one's values, and one's system - system being one's family, friends, or daily acquaintances, whether one has a significant bond with them, or not. These are people you surround yourself with on almost a daily basis.

It is often said, you are the company you keep. Indeed, when one reflects on this saying, one may conjure up that his or her best friends are those whom he or she trusts most, while family will always be family, and those one casually knows do not know much about him or her. More importantly, there are those who prefer to stand alone completely, often in the convenience of their own making because he or she may be more introverted, or simply standoff-ish.

We are here to experience. We are here to learn. No matter one's situation, there are pathways and doors still available. One just has to take the first, second, and third steps to reach a milestone, and then continue on to the next one.

Lent is important in that when we reflect, we can go back to see how far we've come, or how many challenges we had refused to take. We can also pray and ask for forgiveness. We can feel source -energy- as we meditate and conjure up a world of our own making. Mostly, we can be healthy here on Earth and Live in a most humane way - spreading genuine acts of kindness as much as possible.

Temptation may seem sweet, and it may attempt to weaken our vitality and commitments, but strength, honor, and commitment is key to maintaining a beautiful soul that is unburdened by the world. Leaders and gossipers may try to crucify those who appear weak and feeble, but as shown by the story of Jesus Christ, our story and Spirit will live on, even if wronged by those who try to keep us weak.

With Love,
sandieganliz



LENT by sdlizlivestyle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at sdlizlivestyle.blogspot.com.

Milestones

Experiencing milestones in life is truly a blessing. Not only is it a mark in one's journey to note how one has been living and what he or she has accomplished, it makes one feel alive! Rather, it should. Milestones are like chapters in a book, and anyone can determine how many chapters will go in one.

Most religions and cultures mark the day a child becomes an adult. Indeed, such an occurrence is a milestone. Even though age does not appear to mark this important stage, there are times and events when suddenly a child awakens to the perception of adults. This is the essence of milestones and why such is celebrated.

Native American culture and spirituality has important, celebrated milestones. For instance, a mark of manhood for most Native American tribes was the day a boy went out to hunt with the tribesmen. Indeed, this is a major milestone for a culture that relied on hunting wild game for food. As with most religions as well, the day a woman moved in with another family marked a major milestone and was often celebrated by terms of an agreement and ritual celebrating the marriage of two people.

There are so many milestones in life, whether one recognizes them, or not. How people celebrate them differ throughout cultures because some cultures may not even celebrate an important milestone. A girl's period, for instance. Although many cultures celebrate the age surrounding the change in a girl's body from child to woman, there is no real direct celebration for the first sign of her menstruation cycle, which is significant and will last for decades. Thus, girls may not even be able to process what such milestone should mean to them. If more girls were aware of the milestone that involves having a monthly occurrence take place for years to come which signified she was able to birth a child and start a family, and that such occurrence is sacred, more cultures might celebrate its significance and milestone mark.

The accomplishments of men might be celebrated differently because at times it is hard to tell when a boy becomes a man. Is it when a boy serves his family more and then starts his own that he officially becomes a celebrated man? Is it the onset of hormones and how the boy responds to them that determines such mark? Perhaps it is when a boy first performs a selfless act and provides for others in a heroic way that determines a boy's sudden mark into manhood. No matter which way such event occurs, it is significant and should also be celebrated as a life-changing event.

Milestones appear to jolt a soul into realization. Such occurrences, whether recognized or not, or which arrive in detail, or not- whether self-made or founded by culture, appear to mark each soul with a special area of growth. Realizing, celebrating, and accomplishing such milestones are significant, and seem to truly mark chapters in life each of us face.