Waxing Theological

1. I like calendars. I own at least 3. Not kidding. My friend, JJB, used to pick on me about it.

2. I like knowing what’s coming. This way, I know that if I’m having Taco Tuesday, I won’t have anything Mexican for lunch. (Even though I love Mexican food enough to have it all the time.)

3. It helps with shopping. If I plan out my week, I know what items I need from the store. Or, I know that I’m going to make burgers on Friday, so I will wait until Thursday to buy that meat — so it’s fresh — ’cause they’re better like that.

The weekly menu is written on our chalkboard/key holder/memo board created by my BFF over at Erin’s Attic (she’s now in to photography although anything and everything she touches turns to decorative gold).

On Sunday night, we were eating our Sunday Spaghetti (it just worked out that the alliteration happened for Sunday because Miss Sassy Pants requested this meal). The girl looked at the board for the week and said, “Pancakes? On TUESDAY? For DINNER?”

I reminded her that last year, we also had pancakes for dinner. On a Tuesday. I told her it was because it was the night before Lent began. She scrunched up her nose and gave me the old, “Whatchu talkin’ about Willis?” face. 

Here’s what followed:

Me: Do you know what Lent is?

MissSP: Nope.

Me: It’s the 40 days leading up to Easter. Do you know why we celebrate Easter?

MissSP: (blank look — although I know she knows)

Me: Ok, what is Easter all about?

MissSP: God.

Me: Right. But more specifically…

MissSP: (blank look)

Aaron: …and Jesus.

MissSP: Oh, yeah.

Me: And what happened on Easter?

MissSP: Jesus died.

Me: Well, no, that was two days before. What happened on EASTER?

MissSP: Oh! He rose.

Me: Right. And why did that happen?

MissSP: To save us.

Me: From?

MissSP: The bad guys.

Me: (smirk) What bad guys?

MissSP: (blank stare)

Me: Well, it’s not even really bad GUYS. But there is sort of someone bad. Do you know who it is?

MissSP: Umm. The king?

I’ll spare you the step-by-step of the rest of the conversation, but Aaron and I talked with her about what it meant to be saved by Jesus, what the whole crucifixion meant for us and the whole world, and we briefly discussed that Lent is a time to remember the sacrifices Jesus made. I reminded her that in the past, I have given up desserts, meat, and other things.

I explained that Lent lasts for 40 days – which is the amount of time that Jesus spent in the desert without food. She freaked out at this idea: “Didn’t he starve!?!?”

That led to a further discussion of how it was possible for Jesus to go 40 days without food or water. She decided it was because, “He’s the savior.” 

The conversation ended almost as quickly as it had started. The Animal began screaming and the dogs were trying to eat his dropped rations that they found on the floor. But I saw the gears a-churning in her ridiculously smart brain. She told us she’d like to give something up. We explained that it was a choice – she didn’t HAVE to do it. But, I’ll be curious to see what she decides on.