40 days of light
Today is the first day of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence observed by some Christian churches in preparation for Easter. I grew up in a very Catholic house -- I even went to an all-girls Catholic high school -- which meant that when it came to Lent, we went whole-hog: daily recitations of the rosary, fish on Fridays, and definitely giving something up for the 40 days.
These days, I'm less inclined to "give something up" (mostly because I feel guilty when I dive head-first in a barrel of chocolate or a vat of wine, come Easter). Still, old habits die hard, and while I do still observe Lent, in more recent years I've usually tried to pick up a good habit instead: a journaling practice, say, or giving to charity. Usually, I keep what I've decided to do a secret -- I'm not entirely sure why.
This year, I've come up with something that I'd like to do for Lent, and as in past years, I've decided to keep it close to the vest. But this year I'm also moved to do something a bit more public, as well -- and so, in the spirit of looking for the light, I thought I would challenge myself to sharing daily photos of light here with you -- in addition to my normal posts. I'll do this every single day until Friday, April 3rd -- a few more than 40 days, but eh, close enough. Besides, we can never have too much light in our lives, amirite?
So for my first image: Alex during the golden hour, above.
Get ready, friends. It's about to get really light-filled up in here.