Lenten Pearls of Wisdom-- NOT!!!

Have you read "The Pearl"?  It's a poem by, some argue, the same poet who wrote "Sir Gawain and The Green Knight," and it's metaphysical meanings open like flowers as you read.  Usually I'm an "Illiad" and "Beowulf" girl, but it's good too.

What I have learned not buying or wearing jewelry during Lent has not been nearly the illuminating experience that it was last year, but it is sacrilegious to assume every experience will be a mountaintop.   I remembered to pray and express my gratitude for the Lord’s sacrifice for me when I crave something to add to an outfit or instinctively reach for my credit card, but that has sometimes been mechanical due to its frequency.   On the whole, though, giving up jewelry has been good in a number of different ways even if I am embarrassed regarding my shallowness and selfishness.   

I think a LOT about jewelry.  I want just about everything that I see.  I live in a state of almost permanent dissatisfaction with my collection, which is oddly related to my second point, feeling that I must have MORE and being aware that nothing I add ever completely scratches that itch.  It has been restful to be off of that wheel for 40 days and to have fun prioritizing and planning jewelry purchases instead of simply jumping for more.   

On a more prosaic level, what I wear desperately depends on my jewelry for life and zest; without it, my clothes are neutral to the point of boring so I’ve dug out more colorful clothes and rediscovered my scarves.  So now I’m thinking about clothes differently too. 

And that’s my woefully unspiritual but blessed Lenten update.   I pray that yours, dear reader, has been a happy sacrifice as well.