Lent is taking a long time to arrive this year. As I write this, we still have almost 20 more days until Ash Wednesday (March 5th), but it’s not too early to consider Lenten practices. You’ve heard it before: Pray, fast, and give alms. Maybe you’re considering “more.” Could I pray more, do more fasting, give more time and money? Certainly. But could it mean something different or additional this year?

Pray – Go through the day and take God with you. Of course, God is always there, but could we go into each activity with “God, be with me as I shop . . .cook . . drive…?”

Fast – Perform tasks a bit faster or avoid wasting time. Use the extra few minutes to perform a good deed, read, pray.

Alms – Alms are to be given freely. What do you do reluctantly, begrudgingly? Substitute your “have to” attitude with “get to.” For example, I am blessed to have dishes to wash, floors to sweep, a job to go to, children to cherish.

We don’t “have to” do anything this Lent, but we “get to.”