It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.

By “interesting,” I mean overscheduled, tiring, tedious, and not super-fulfilling, with weather that cannot seem to make up its mind. This plus some work-related anxiety has added up to be one of those times in life that cannot pass quickly enough.

And here I am, trying to practice gratitude and find the happiness in everything.

Lest this turn into one of those blogs about how perfect the writer’s life is and how she’s got it all figured out and how you, gentle reader, should try to be more like her, I figured I’d be honest about it. My apologies if you come here to feel uplifted and found this mishmash of grumbling and complaining instead. (Stick with me–I promise this is going somewhere!)

The truth is that I’ve been thinking more and more about our lives being a series of seasons, and the more we lean into them, the more we learn and benefit from them. This kind of thinking is largely the result of the An Inspired Life book club, and it’s so much better than thinking I’m stuck in an eternity of in-betweenness.

Is “in-betweenness” even a word?

Today, I am thankful for made-up words. ; )

I’m so grateful that this season of in-betweenness has happened at this point in the liturgical calendar. Because, you see, the truth is that I need Lent.

I need it.

I need time to slow down, to refocus, to be still and know. I need a chance to rethink what matters to me and give up what is taking too much of my time and attention away from what matters. I need to walk away from distractions and lean into this season, lean into what is becoming a time of discernment for me.

So there’s the gratitude and happiness for you: I’m realizing that this is not just a time to be stuck but a time to get unstuck, a time to reflect on what led me to this season, a time to discern what this season’s purpose is in my life.

To everything there is a season, right?

I’ll be reflecting on Lent quite a bit in these next few weeks, and I hope you will be, too. What does Lent look like for you this year? How can we encourage each other to embrace this season? Please share and know that you’re in my prayers this Lenten season.