Lent, Butter, and the Business of Becoming Better

 Now, I was raised Catholic—like fish-on-Fridays, ashes-on-Wednesdays, and guilt-for-dessert kind of Catholic. But these days, I don’t claim religion so much as I claim reverence. Not for pews or pulpits necessarily, but for something more mysterious. Something you can’t quite explain, but you know it when it stirs in your bones.

Call it soul. Call it the voice inside. Call it the Holy Ghost or just good ol’ fashioned gut instinct. But I believe in it.

Because deep down, we do know right from wrong.
Even if the world’s gotten noisy with Happiness Hijackers trying to sell us peace like it's a product—marketed in soft pastels and subscription boxes.

But real happiness?
Well, it’s tricky.

Sure, I love sunshine on my skin, music in the kitchen, and folks who laugh easy and love hard. Give me color, warmth, and people who show up when things get messy—that makes me happy.

But deep happiness—the kind that stays even when the lights go out and the room gets quiet—that comes from purpose.
From doing the thing you were made to do, even if the only witness is your dog and the dishes.

Lent, at its heart, is a time to pause.
To reflect.
To repent, if that’s your rhythm.

Me? I’ve already got a highlight reel of regrets and a tendency to self-scold. So for these next 46 days, I’m trading in shame for shape-shifting—the good kind. The kind where you turn inward, clean house, and make room for more light.

And no, I won’t be taking the Sundays off. I know myself. One skipped day leads to one excuse leads to, “Well, maybe next year.” My willpower melts faster than butter in a cast iron skillet, so I need rhythm and resolve, not loopholes.

I’ve always loved a fresh start. A new year. A clean calendar page. A Monday morning with a sharpened pencil.

So that’s what this is.
Forty-six days to show up for my life with more heart, more intention, more discipline, and a whole lotta grace.

Because every faith, every practice, every good book or wise granny I’ve ever met, seems to circle the same truth:

Be the best version of yourself.

And that’s something we can all believe in.

Swan Song - Elin Hilderbrand

I love Elin Hilderbrand...which pains me to write this honest personal review: Not a Swan Song, more like a Turkey Screech. I was really disappointed in Swan Song. I've liked so many of Elin's books and always looked forward to them. The last few have injected politics into the fray, which totally distracts from the story. And it's as if her last book (supposedly final book, though she admits in the acknowledgements it might not be her last....The Tom Brady of Fiction?) she thought, "well, if I'm going out, might as well inject all my political ideals into the book! We had to slog through environmentalism, racism, lesbianism, inter-racial couples, and painting Southern upbringing as typical backwoods, backwards, blue collar, stupid people. But it's not like any of those topics helped the story or fit, it's as if she was using those topics to say, "Look how elitist and progressive I am!" She also had explict sex scenes which I don't remember in any of her previous books. And though there were only a few, WHY? A good author is able to leave details to the imagination of the reader. Once she got passed the progressive notes, the book turned into a delightful usual Elin novel. We focused on the characters, their drama, and things were going well in the middle of the book, and then it turned the last few chapters. Extremely rushed. The characters became caricatures. The ending was neatly wrapped up in three pages. Super disappointed. I usually can't put her books down...this one I put down so many times at being put off by the various things I mentioned, and then literally rolled my eyes at the ending. If you're a die hard Elin fan, by all means, you'll love it. If you are a discerning reader that dislikes tropes, skip it and choose any book of Elin's but Swan Song...

Snake Oil by Kelsey Rae Dimberg

Snake Oil by Kelsey Rae Dimberg Amazing. The author (new to me), is brilliant. A true artist. Very few words wasted in this twisty turny novel. 3 women: One is the creator of a female health and wellness company that utilizes all the social media to LIFT her brand (iykyk). One woman started with the brand in the beginning days and has benefited from the products (so she believes) and is a devoted fan. One woman works for the brand, befriends the devoted worker/fan, but had a different experience and is bitter. There is a twisty turn. And, oddly enough, the character that I was sure I wasn't going to be rooting for, I actually found myself rooting for in the end. I couldn't put the book down (that alone deserves 5 stars as I start and stop many many books and few rarely hold my attention). Could easily go from book to screen, and I hope if it does, they stick to the story. In a fair world, this would spend a year on the Best Seller list. Release Date: September 14, 2024