a Place Called HOME

"Courage is a heart word.  The root of the word courage is cor -  the Latin word for heart.   In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant  'TO SPEAK ONE'S MIND BY TELLING ALL ONE'S HEART.'  Over time, this definition has changed,  and today,  we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength  and level of commitment required f or us to actually speak honestly and openly  about who we are  and  about our experiences - good and bad.  Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as  'ordinary courage.'" ~ Brene Brown 

LENT has always been a "thorny" season for me. Even though I grew up Catholic with both parents actively involved in our church; LENT has always felt like nail s-on-a-chalkboard! "The Season of Guilt" is how I affectionately refer to this hard-sought season that lingers [and prolongs] the very end of winter into the resurrection we so deeply desire. The Spring of NEW LIFE bursting in the image of the risen Christ. I do better with nature... I can understand that we lay bare our selves and our souls in winter; to be molded, to sit quietly, to be restored for new life. We have figuratively dropped anything no longer needed to seed the life waiting for us. We have let go of that which no longer serves us; perhaps a Lenten sacrifice of sorts to meet our new selves in spring. There are lots of "things" we can consciously "give up" - Gossip. Multi-tasking. Our devices. Pace. Social media. Others...??? We strip naked to be restored by the