For most Christians, tomorrow marks the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance, forgiveness and mercy.

This penitential season leads us to the great feast of Easter, when we remember Christ’s resurrection.

So, why start with ashes?  From Old Testament times (Esther 4:3, Isaiah 58:3, Jeremiah 6:26, Daniel 9:3), ashes have been a sign of repentance.  Jesus spoke of the use of sackcloth and ashes (Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13).

In many Christian denominations, a cross of ashes is marked on the foreheads of all those who come forward on Ash Wednesday.  It’s a gentle reminder that life is short, and we are in great need of mercy if we ever want to make it to heaven.

That mercy that we seek isn’t just from God.  We need it from others, and we need to readily dispense it ourselves.

So, whether you make it to church tomorrow to get your ashes or not, we can still use the next 40 days for something really great.

If we just spent a bit more time being merciful, our world would be a better place, don’t you think? There are many angry, bitter, and frustrated people walking the streets with us each day. Some of the people reading these words might be included in that group.

But friends, life is short.  As Jesus said himself, He didn’t come into the world to condemn it, but to save it (John 3:17).

Let’s use these next forty days to really embrace our need for forgiveness, repentance, and mercy.  How that plays out in your own life is up to you.  I promise you, however, that if you let those words move you to action, your life will be much improved when Easter comes.  So will it be for those around you, and maybe even the world.

It’s pretty easy to get discouraged, don’t you think?  I’ve been talking to a lot of people about discouragement lately, and it seems as though it’s affecting just about everyone in one way or another.

Maybe its your health, or finances, or relationships, or work, or your kids.  It could be that you’ve been looking for a job for months, and you get rejected over and over.  Or you might be disappointed with someone who you wished had their stuff a bit more together.  No matter what it might be for you, discouragement can really get us down, and that’s not a good place to get stuck.

I would suggest the first thing we need to do when we’re discouraged is to take a step back and really look at the situation.  Are my expectations too high?  Do others have it worse off than me?  Who can help me move beyond my discouragement?  Are there other things that I need to focus on?

Often times we expect from others or ourselves what they/we cannot give at the moment.  When we put the bar too high, it’s easy to find ourselves disappointed and bitter.  Remember that old expression, Rome wasn’t built in a day? I wish I could lose that extra twenty pounds I’ve gained, but I’m going to be very discouraged if I thought I could lose it in two weeks.  It’s going to take time.

As for others having it worse than me, well, that’s a given.  No matter what our situation, I promise you that others are suffering far more than I am.  Of course, this doesn’t make it any easier, but the reality is, we are resilient.

Sometimes, just talking out our problems/issues/concerns with someone can lift us out of our discouragement.  They might help us put things in perspective and gently remind us that we cannot control everything.  We might just have to, as the expression goes, let go and let God.

Focusing on other things really helps me when I’m discouraged.  Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I teach a 5th grade religion class once a week.  Being with my class for those 75 minutes is one of the highlights of my week.  When I’m feeling a bit down about this or that, I start working on a lesson plan for my next session with them.  This little exercise always pulls me out of my discouragement.

I’m sure you also have some things/people who can help you overcome your discouragement.  If you don’t, or you feel totally stuck, you might consider speaking to a trusted friend, your pastor or doctor, or a counselor.  Ask God for help.

Don’t get stuck in discouragement.  Life is too short.

In life, things like this happen all the time.  Sometimes, we’re the person who forgets.  Sometimes, we’re the person left waiting.  It’s these little things in life that seem to drag us down.

My friend was beating himself up over it, and that’s why he wanted to talk.  Mistakes happen.  The  biggest challenge is what we learn from them.  I reminded my friend that he has a cell phone with a calendar on it.  He could have easily entered the info into the phone, then a nice little alarm would go off, gently reminding him that there was something to do.

I have had a cell phone for years now, but it’s only been in the last year that I’ve begun to use this feature.  Let me tell you, it’s a great little tool I use just about every day to keep me on task. 

We are living in a fast-paced world.  Our minds are racing at a mile a minute, and just about all of us have several balls up in the air at any one time.  I never thought of myself as a juggler, but, in many ways, that’s what I’ve become.  I’m guessing it’s the same for you.

If we’re ever going to make this all work, we have to be more forgiving.  First, with ourselves.  Most of us tend to be pretty hard on ourselves.  I know my friend was this morning.  We also tend to be hard on the people around us, especially our co-workers, family and friends. 

If we could lighten things up, and be the first to forgive, I think it would go a long way in making our lives a little more peaceful.  Why not give it a try today?  We could all use a little more peace, right?

Written in 2007 when we were living in better times, I believe the book has even more relevance today, since there are so many who are going through difficult times and might feel that their dreams will never come to pass.

I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so I’ll be brief.  Kelly tells the story of the Admiral Janitorial Services company, and how Simon Roberts, the General Manager, tried to figure out what to do about their annual turnover rate, which ran about 400%. 

The costs of such a turnover was astronomical, and their customers began to complain about it.  It  was the complaints that led Simon’s boss, Greg, to realize that he could no longer accept the constant change in employees. 

Simon proposed that they do a survey, asking their present employees why so many left.  Greg thought the returned surveys would show that it would come down to money.  People would stay if they simply gave them a salary increase. 

Greg was wrong.  Money wasn’t the reason at all.  Sorry, but I want you to buy the book, so I won’t tell you what changes the company made to turn things around.  I will say that the answer was pretty simple, and although it cost the company some big bucks to resolve the issue, in the end the decisions Greg and Simon made revolutionized the company.  In fact, their success was replicated by many other companies, with similar results.

In a nutshell, the story of the Dream Manager is about the importance of helping people achieve their dreams.  When this book was written, we were just starting our economic decline, and we’re still trying to dig ourselves out of the pit.

That being said, I think it’s more important than ever for us to work on rebuilding the hopes and dreams for the future, not only for ourselves, but all those we come into contact with.  We don’t have to run a company to do this.  It can start with ourselves, our family, our friends.  When was the last time you asked someone what their dreams are?  When was the last time you dreamt about your future, without having it turn into a nightmare?

When people stop dreaming in a positive way about the future, it’s not good.  We need to turn that around, even if things seem overwhelming right now.  The future of Admiral Janitorial Services was bleak, that is until people started dreaming again.  It can be the same for us and everyone we know.

Take a risk and pick up a copy of this book.  It’s under $12 at Amazon.  Reading it will get you excited about the future.  It will get you dreaming again.  I know it did me.

Lately, I’ve been really trying to stick to my vegetarian diet.  Since I’ve been traveling a lot, it hasn’t always been easy.  I often worry about getting enough protein, since most of us get our daily dose get this vital nutrient from eating meat and dairy, vegans/vegetarians have to be careful that they have a balanced and healthy diet.

Beans and legumes are a great protein source, and are also high in fiber.  They can be prepared thousands of different ways, and this recipe is just one.  I hope you’ll make up a batch and try it by itself or as a burrito filling.

Black Beans and Rice

serves 4

1 2/3 low sodium vegetable broth

1/4 up shallots, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2/3 cup brown rice, rinsed (I used Carolina Whole Grain)

1/4 tsp cumin

2 tb cilantro, finely chopped

2 tb scallions, finely chopped

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1/3 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.  Add rice and cumin and saute for 2 minutes.

Add remaining 1 1/3 cup broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.  Add cilantro, scallions, beans, salt and pepper and mix well.

I was out on yahoo’s homepage yesterday, and I saw a little news item that caught my attention.  It read, McDonald’s drops pink slime.

How could you not open that little window to see what they were talking about?  Heck, we all eat at McDonald’s from time to time, right?

Well, I think they’ll be a few less fast food customers after watching this video clip.

In a nutshell, about 70% of all the ground beef we consume is chemically treated, so that parts of the cow which would be considered inedible can be consumed by humans.  The pink goo in the photo above is an ammonia additive used by McDonald’s until recently.  Thanks to TV chef Jaime Oliver, who, in this video clip, brings to light the common use of  chemicals to treat our food.

I don’t know about you, but this kind of stuff really scares me.  The fact that such things don’t have to be identified to the people consuming the product makes me mad.  Well, I could go on and on…

This is just a reminder that, if we want to be healthy over the long haul, we must become more aware of what we’re putting into our mouths.  Not only where our food comes from, but also what might be added to it before it ever enters our homes.

Just this morning, I opened a new container of Fat-Free Half and Half for my coffee.  Now, you would think that you’d be safe here, but on the list of ingredients, even before the actual cream itself, was corn syrup.  So, there was more corn syrup in my half and half than cream.  Wow.

I think if we really paid attention, we’d be shocked beyond belief with what we’re really consuming.  A bit scary, don’t you think?

Although it felt a bit like spring in my neck of the woods today, winter is still with us.  In fact, I’ve always found February to be the coldest, snowiest, and dreary month.

I was trying to find a hearty soup to cook and then freeze up for one of those snowy days that are sure to be coming soon, and I thought this recipe, which includes a good portion of super healthy butternut squash, would be just the one to make.

Vegetarian Country Stew

serves four

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 tb fresh thyme, chopped

3 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 16 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

4 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1/4 cup broth in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.  Add cabbage, squash, remaining broth, thyme and crushed red pepper and bring to boil.

Lower heat, cover, and simmer on medium low for about 30 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Add the beans and tomatoes, cover, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spring won’t officially get here until March 20th, but the poor bulbs don’t know it.  Like most of the country, we’ve had unseasonably warm weather and hardly any snow.

Growing up in California, I never really appreciated spring until I lived through my first Maryland winter.  Actually, as far as winters go, most of ours aren’t too bad.  We do get snow, but it tends to not stay around for very long.

When you get the chance to really experience the seasons, you learn to savor the changes. The glorious colors of fall.  The simple beauty of a blanket of snow, the long-awaited glory of a spring garden, and lastly, the experience of the first farmer’s market of the season, when all the early crops are ready to be turned into tasty meals.

I think the seasons are also a gentle reminder that we don’t have control over everything, as hard as we try to convince ourselves otherwise.

I’ve learned to find things I appreciate in each season, and I capitalize of the uniqueness of each.  How dull would a garden be without a few daffodils, tulips, and crocus?  Could you really make it through the summer without corn on the cob and heirloom tomatoes?  What could be finer than a long drive to see the fall colors? While I don’t like to drive in it, I love to watch the snow fall, and see my dog’s excitement, even in her old age, as she plays in it.

But in the end, spring is my favorite season of all.  Just about two months to go… I hope my spring bulbs can hold on a while longer.

Sorry for the pause in my posts.  I’m still getting over a bug I picked up, and the antibiotics have been slow to kick in.

We’ve finally gotten some snow on the ground in my neck of the woods, and, gratefully, it hasn’t been too much so as to cause a lot of problems.  Snow is actually a very calming force in nature.  I love the way it covers everything, gently reminding the viewer of how much we take for granted.  Watching the snow come down always relaxes me (unless I’m driving), giving me plenty to reflect upon.

With this latest snowfall, I got to thinking about the importance of making every day count.  January is almost over.  Where is the time going?  Where do I stand with my New Year’s resolutions?

Recently I blogged about two random people I met in the span of two days.  Both had lost their jobs and were looking for work.  My heart went out to them, and I began to really appreciate my own job.  Despite all the headaches, my position is a meaningful one with a good salary.  I realized that I needed to be more focused at work, and put more of an effort in to make every day count. What can I do to make that happen?

Over the last few months, I’ve been blessed with a deepening friendship with one of the guys in my men’s group.  As we’ve talked, its uncanny how similar our life experiences have been, even though we come from different backgrounds.  For years, I’ve been getting up very early each day, giving me time to think, pray, and write my blog posts.  For years, my friend has had to make a long commute early each morning, usually listening to talk radio as he drives.

Now, a portion of our early morning is spent talking with each other.  We find ourselves talking about important things, and, more recently and sadly, lost football games.  Our conversations always end in a prayer, not only for ourselves but also for people we know who are going through tough times.  These early morning conversations have really helped me to start my day in a rich and meaningful way.  They set the stage for making every day count.

Friends, life moves fast.  No matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor, working, unemployed or retired, we can all do at least one meaningful thing each day.  Wouldn’t our lives be different if we tried to make every day count and have some meaning beyond its twenty-four hour span?

All things considered, we have it pretty good.

Sometimes, we can easily get balled up in our own problems that we fail to recognize that there are many, many people who are struggling with much bigger issues and concerns.

Over the past month, I’ve been talking with a good friend just about every morning.  He has a long commute, and I get up really early.

Generally, we talk about spiritual things and what’s going on in our lives.  Although we try to keep it pretty light, we can easily drift off into complaining about this or that, and end up focusing on the negative aspects of our lives.  When this happens, we depend on the other person to change things around.  In fact, such a change was needed in our conversation this morning.

My friend was talking about how hard it is to make his commute each day, especially during these dark days of winter.  He’s just worn out from driving, and I don’t blame him. I couldn’t do what he does each day and remain sane.

After listening to him, I told him about two conversations I had over the past few days.  On Sunday, I met a man who had been laid off back in April of last year.  He has tried to find work, and he has had no luck.  Reduced to being a handyman, he gave me a stack of flyers with the hope that I might pass them out at work.  He has a wife and young son to support.

Last night I led an adult education program at my church. When it came time for table discussion, I sat down next to a lady who was telling the group about her situation.  She had been laid off the previous week.  Her husband had been lost three jobs in the last ten years.  Despite this, she was so positive and upbeat.  She told the group that she had full trust in God, and that He had a plan for her and her family.

As I listened to her, I remembered the man I spoke to on Sunday said the same thing.  I thought to myself, why can’t I have that same level of trust?  Why can’t I be more grateful for all the gifts God has given me, including my job?  Why is it so easy to focus on the negative aspects of our lives, instead of the positive?

Friends, all things considered, we have it pretty good, even if we’re in the midst of a pretty bad situation.  There are many people who long to have what we have.

Today, try and give God thanks for some the blessings in your life, including our jobs, difficult as they may be.

I’m sure you could create quite a list of blessings if you focused on them. Give it a try

Yesterday, I jumped on-line and took a look at my home town newspaper, the Glendale Newspress.  This quote (full article) came from a 92-year-old shopkeeper in town, who keeps working because, according to her, she needs to keep her cat fed.  Of course, that’s not the real reason, but this lady clearly loves her life, and tries to brighten the lives of her customers, some of whom have been coming to her boutique since 1966.

“Attitude and gratitude are very important in this world,” she said, adding, “I used to say, you might be handed a cactus, but you don’t have to sit on it. You’ve got to get up and do something about it.”       Fiona Bayliss