Pancake Tuesday

Holidays are celebrated differently all over the world and nothing has made me understand that more than being over here across the Atlantic. In Britain, fat Tuesday is celebrated by eating pancakes! The official title is Shrove Tuesday but is more commonly called Pancake Tuesday. The tradition started many years ago when fat, butter and eggs were forbidden during Lent. On the day before Lent all the women would use up the rest of their store of these items which would otherwise go bad if unused and they would make pancakes. The towns and cities would have so many pancakes that they would even have relay races to and from the church where women would run with frying pans, back and forth and back and forth. I found this whole thing pretty comical but being that I love saying I live here I want to also be able to say I "participated" in every unique going on while I'm here!
After hours of research and paper writing in Starbucks Chris took me to Crepe Affair which had the most delicious pancakes/crepes I've had in a long time. It had been so long since I had eaten breakfast food that wasn't toast that I ate them way too fast and of course ended up in a food coma....but whose surprised about that haha! Anyways, there's not much more to say on the topic but if you're interested in finding out more about it either google Shrove Tuesday or click here: PANCAKES!
As for Lent, I am not giving anything up this year because the past few years I've taken a different approach to Lent. I don't want to give something up just for the sake of giving something up. And especially since that makes it too easy to cheat (especially on Sundays which don't count right?!) Rather I've tried to focus on something that will bring me closer to God. That is, after all, the purpose of Lent...to spend these 40 days and nights reminding ourselves of what the sacrifice He made for us. Maybe it's the fact that the essay I'm currently working on has to do with how Christ is an example for living theology out in a practical way in our lives and I wrote 3 pages on Christ's sacrifice, but I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about what I do to show my thanks. I know I can't call up God, or text Him and say thank you but I can spend more time in prayer. And I can work harder on keeping more positive because I often feel like I whine and complain a lot.
Well anyways, for Lent I am going to make sure I spend 20 minutes each day praying for someone different in my life. Instead of just my quick, routine prayers I say every night before I fall asleep I want to make sure I know what I'm praying for. I want to focus on my prayers and what I'm saying so that I don't just run through them quickly so I can fall asleep but rather really mean what I say.
I'm just rambling on now it seems but I hope this Lent is a time we all remember what is really important in our lives.

Love from London,
Kristin