What Did I Give Up For Lent?

Nothing…no wait…I gave up sixteen and a half minutes of my time each day to say the Rosary.  I promised myself to recite the Rosary everyday during Lent in the hope that I would form a habit that would carry forward even after those forty days. 

Not being a big fan of the Rosary’s redundant repetitive nature and recalling the torture this prayer put me thru as a child (thanks to Mom and Dad) it was difficult to embrace this spiritual challenge.  Each night the whole family would be required to say the rosary…on our knees just before bed.  I would always begin to yawn even before we got thru the first decade…an unfortunate habit I catch myself doing still to this day.  I am convinced it works better than any sleeping pill.  But I digress. 

I decided to test myself with this spiritual exercise so I switch the timing to early morning while driving to Mass.  I also enlisted the help of YouTube to help keep me focused.  But as I counted off the last bead I pondered where the last sixteen minutes went…lost in some daydream wandering the empty halls of my mind.

This is going to a bigger contest than I ever imagined.

Oh! Please Dear Lord

It’s going to be hard.

Cut me some slack

‘cause I want to come back.

To the prayer life I vowed

That would make You proud.

In this world of crazy

I call on Your mercy.

Amen.