Day 36: Five Week Update

Only two more of these updates left!  Spring has sprung, Lent is waning and Easter is looming on the horizon.  Here are a few ramblings:

• First things first.  This morning's sunrise was breathtaking!

• Working overtime.  Typically Ramadan is twenty-nine to thirty days long.  Not counting Sundays and the Solemnity of the Annunciation (days when I did not fast this Lent), today is the thirtieth day of my Lenten Ramadan fast.  Counting today, there are still ten days of fasting remaining, making Lent a bit longer than Ramadan. Of course, Muslims don't have the luxury of breaking the fast at all during Ramadan, and I am certainly not claiming to have "outdone" anyone here. This never was about competition but about faith and understanding.

• Leftovers are better than nothing . . . I guess.  I know I have mentioned this before, but it is worth noting again: I am absolutely sick of eating food warmed up in the microwave.  I haven't really been keeping track, but I imagine I have only eaten freshly prepared hot meals four or five times in the past five weeks. Of course, I realize this is still more than many people in our world get.  It is simply something I am not used to.  Not eating with everyone else has been one of the biggest challenges this Lent, and not just for me.  Brandi has commented numerous times that she can't wait for Lent to be over so we can all eat together again.

• Tic-toc, on the clock.  It is amazing how rapidly daylight has been added over the past five weeks. When I started on March 9 there were 11 hours and 37 minutes of daylight.  As of yesterday there were 13 hours and 11 minutes, an increase of one hour and 34 minutes.  This is something I never really paid much attention to in the past but it has been remarkable to witness.  While most of me very much enjoys the longer days (especially the later sunsets), it does increase the length of each day's fast.  Mornings are becoming more of a challenge too.  At the start of Lent it was no problem to eat breakfast because the sun was rising after I left for work, but now I have to hurry to get breakfast in.  I hate to eat too early since it is so long until dinner. One of the things I am most eager about is getting my Saturday mornings back to sleep in a bit. As it stands, I have to wake up early in order to eat breakfast . . . although I have been known to return to bed for a bit afterwards. I am certainly much more aware of what spring means this year!

• Almsgiving update.  Last week I mentioned the importance of giving alms during Lent.  While I have not yet determined a total amount (and I'll probably keep that confidential anyway) I think I am going to split it in half and donate half to Catholic Relief Services.  CRS consistently has one of the lowest overheads of any charitable organization and more of your dollar goes directly to those in need than with most other groups.  I am thinking about donating the other half to Project Interfaith, an organization I have mentioned here several times.  The blend of feeding the hungry and promoting inter-religious dialog seems like a good fit for my Lenten Ramadan.

• Weight watchers.  It's looking like I'm down ten pounds in five weeks.  The weight loss really seems to have slowed down a bit and that is fine with me.  It may have slowed down because I have tried to eat just a little bit more in the evenings.  We've had a lot of leftovers in the fridge from the family reunion on Saturday and I can't let all that perfectly good food go to waste!

• And in the spirit of gratitude . . . I want to offer you all a thanks once again. Lenten Ramadan has surpassed 1000 page views and, on average, receives over 30 views a day.  Recently a number of page views have been consistently coming from Thailand and Denmark.  This truly is a small world! Thanks too for those who have posted comments, especially "kat" who is the first Muslim to have done so and whose insights on Ramadan and fasting I have greatly appreciated this past week.  When I began this journey part of my hope was to create understanding and respect between faiths instead of the fear and animosity that is more often reported in the media. At least for me personally, this has certainly been the case and I hope it has for you too.