Punchki "Paczki" Day, and Observing Lent.

Paczki or "Punchki"  from Deerfield's Bakery in Schaumburg, Illinois.  A Polish traditional food for Fat Tuesday!  They are the most amazingly wonderful you will EVER have!

 

Growing up a Baptist, Lent wasn't something I ever observed.  My Husband grew up Methodist.  He grew up in a Church that observed Lent, but it wasn't something that his family regularly took part of.  

  In Christianity, Easter is our most Holy holiday, yet it's the most overlooked!  As my walk with Christ has grown over the years, I have continued to look for ways of making this Holiday the most important and special for my Family.  

  When my Children were young, we decided to not allow any talk of the Easter Bunny, around the kids.   Baskets were given by Mom and Dad.  We would dye Easter eggs and have even done a few egg hunts.  In search to make it more meaningful, when they were little we bought Resurrection Eggs.  We even tried to call Easter Sunday  "Resurrection Sunday"  but that just never stuck. It seemed to be one of those trendy Evangelical things, but after 25 plus years of calling it Easter.......Just couldn't do it.

 The eggs were great, they come with a booklet and scripture to go along with each egg you open. Inside each egg is something that tells the Easter story, such as a crown of thorns, or a nail.  When my kids were little these were a blessing.  They added meaning to an otherwise Pagan Holiday. 

   My Husband made a tomb out of Great Stuff foam.  We would wrap a doll in shrouding and place him in the tomb on Good Friday after church.   My kids would look inside all Day Saturday, and when they awoke to find their Easter Baskets Sunday morning......the stone was rolled away, his shroud was neatly folded and no Jesus inside!  They were really Little when we did this, and just LOVED it!

  I always make certain to wake them with...."He is Risen!"  I usually sprint out of bed, so that it is the first thing they hear when they wake on Easter Sunday!

  Here is an "Ancient" picture of our Family at Easter.  I love it because we are on the steps of the stage at Church, with the cross and Easter Lilies all around!

  Taken about 7ish years ago.

  My Children are older now, and our resurrection eggs just won't cut it any more.  They are looking for deeper meaning too!  As a family we have decided to celebrate Lent.  We have done this halfheartedly in the past...but this year we decided to FULLY partake in the Lenten experience.  Starting with our "Punchkis"  LOL.  That was just for fun!  

   Each one of us has decided to give up something difficult and personal to us.  We will attend my Husband's childhood church for Ash Wednesday service, receive ashes as a symbol of our mourning and repentance, offer our bodies by fasting and prayer as a living sacrifice, and each evening gather around our Lenten "altar" to light candles, pray and meditate on Christ.  

You can read more about the symbolism and meaning of the color purple during lent here.

   I found this Lenten family devotional   We are looking forward to starting this, and will continue reading through the gospels and memorizing scripture as we have been doing daily! 

  On the six Sundays from now until Easter, we will partake in Communion as a family,  Celebrate the Resurrection, and break our fast!  What a great way to celebrate our Savior and his resurrection! Each Sunday is like a "mini Easter"!

  However you and your family celebrate our most Holy Holiday....I pray it is blessed, and full of meditation on our RISEN KING!!  

Blessings!  <3 Paula