Begin with the letter ‘C’
Seriously!
I’m mean just think about it…we’ve got…
Croissants
Cheese
Chocolate
Cupcakes
Cookies
Cake
Coffee
Cocoa
Champagne
Christmas
Cocker Spaniel puppies
Cream
Caramel
Crème Brule
Cream Cheese
Cream Puffs
Cream Top yogurt
Coca Cola (I don’t drink it myself, but I hear people like
it)
Candy
Crepes
Candy Canes
Camembert Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Cinnamon
Cider
Cappuccinos
Cheap plane/train tickets
Chicken Nuggets (Katie…mom… lol)
Catsup (aka ketchup)
Curry
Chipotle peppers
Chili Cheese fries
Chardonnay
Creatine Phosphate (to ward off muscle fatigue, of course)
Carbohydrates
Club Crackers
Cinnamon French toast
Cheerios
Coupons
I mean, I could go on forever…
But that would be just a tad excessive.
In any case, I started thinking about this because cheese
and croissants have become a major player in my diet recently. (Although, as
I’m writing this I think I’ve finally over-dosed on them and really have no
desire to eat another one for a long time). But as I was eating a chocolate
croissant with Camembert cheese smeared all over it the other day and humming
happily to myself at the pure deliciousness that was occurring in my mouth, I
was brought back to a distant memory of my Sunday School teacher that I had in
5th grade.
Normally eating cheese and croissants doesn’t make me
reflect on my formative years where I was forced to color in Christian
Children’s coloring books and make crucifixes out of Popsicle sticks for an
hour every Sunday…but with Lent and Easter approaching I think that is what
triggered my memory of my 5th grade Sunday School teacher…
Even at the tender age of 10 I was disturbed, and even
slightly mortified when this woman told our class what she gave up for Lent
every year.
She gave up everything “bad” that began with the letter ‘C,’
and started eating “good” things that began with the letter ‘C’ instead.
I couldn’t believe my ears.
I vaguely remember my right eye twitching ever-so-slightly
and the corners of my mouth tugging down into a slight frown when she told us
this…
Forty days and forty nights?! Was she crazy?! The letter ‘C’
encompasses all that is good and wonderful in this world! The way to pure
happiness and bliss is by eating all of the things I just listed! How could
anyone ever --
Oh…right…that’s the whole point of Lent…
Ok, this started to make sense to me.
So every year my dear Sunday school teacher began to replace
cookies with carrots, cupcakes with cauliflower, Coca-Cola with Crystal
Light…etc…
Although, she reflected that she never could find a way to
get around doughnuts…
That year I believe I chose to give up playing GameBoy.
”But not too much…” was the qualifying statement I made
immediately after stating my sacrifice that year that my family will OFTEN
remind me of whenever this topic is brought up…
I’m telling ya’, people don’t forget. (Just like in the case
of the Scottie Dog Sweater).
This year I haven’t decided on what to give up yet. Giving
up playing GameBoy would be too easy, seeing as I haven’t picked up a Gameboy
since my bout with Mononucleosis back in seventh grade (I advise anyone reading
this ask my sister Katie for a funny story behind that if you want a good
chuckle), and giving up everything with the letter “C” would be a little bit too cruel of me this year seeing as I
can only get authentic cheese and croissants in one place, and this is the only
time in my life where I’m going to be living in France…
Who knows…I’m sure I’ll think of something…
I’m hoping to spend Easter in Rome this year. This is a trip
that I think will be incredibly powerful and beautiful, and I’m really hoping
it comes to fruition.
Talk about authenticity…Rome is the motherland of Catholicism…(Ok,
the Vatican is, but close enough).
Maybe this pilgrimage will make-up for my “but not too
much…” qualifier back in Fifth grade…
One can only hope. Errr…I mean, pray.
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