Life is starting to interfere with my well organized plan of giving things away. Our teenage friend had a C-section a week ago which meant being with her during labor and numerous trips to bring her husband back and forth to the hospital while also trying to help him get a job. Meanwhile, my parents, who live about six hours away, are facing the health challenges normal to people in their 80’s and 90’s. I’m planning a “support the rents” trip this month. Meanwhile, our dining room ceiling is being repaired which means chaos in that part of the house. I ponder these things and remember that I’m blessed to have a car to transport people in, blessed to have my parents still alive, blessed to have a house and the money to repair a ceiling, but I’ve had to cancel meetings and rearrange my life. It seems frivolous when compared to the daily needs of those who don’t have these “luxuries.” Perhaps this “dying to self” is more of what Lent is about than giving things away, but still…
PS: If you can allow me one complaint, I can tell you that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not make it easy to get a visa. Now, that’s something to really worry about!