Lent

sh Wednesday marks the beginning of a 40 day period of fasting known as Lent. There are variations of Lent between traditional Western and Orthodox Christianity, but the same basic tenet of sacrifice applies. In a very modern interpretation, the 40 days of Lent boil down to giving something up. Whether it be chocolate, TV, caffeine, whatever you would deem as a sacrifice.* The whole purpose being to prepare the believer for Easter and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. BD and I have decided that together we will give up meat during Lent this year. In our own religion we have strict guidance on the matter that says meat is "For the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine." Key word is sparingly. Meat of all kind is readily available to us, and pretty cheap too. Meat used to be a special occasion, Sunday dinner sort of  meal. Now it is not uncommon for us to eat meat for two, sometimes three meals per day. So today begins our meat fast to help us on the track to sparingly. Because a perfectly cooked filet, every once in a while, is really good eats. And for that I am very thankful indeed.

Here I am branding a calf at HPR during the summer I worked in Montana. I actually worked as kitchen help, cooking and cleaning for the real cowboys, but every so often they allowed us city folk to get our hands dirty.

*According to Wikipedia, when observing fasting or abstinence during Lent, regard must be paid to the fact that Sundays are Feast Days, so there is no fast or abstinence. The days from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday, excluding the Sundays, are forty, corresponding to the number of days Christ spent in the wilderness.

What about you? What are you giving up for Lent?