The prompt for today’s post reads:
Generosity rarely “just happens” – usually it has to be planned for. This Lent, we’ll start by laying the groundwork. That’ll look different for everyone, depending on your time, finances and current generosity habits. Let’s go!
This year 40 Acts is different, in that each day there is a suggestion of three things you can do, one taking only a few minutes, another a bit longer, and one that requires a bit more effort, or money, or steps-outside-the-comfort-zone!
Today’s “mid” action is start a journal – I’d always planned to blog about the acts, so this is my journal. I know that I won’t be able to blog every day about the Acts, as sometimes I won’t get the email until I get home at night (even though they are sent out at 7.00 am UK time, that’s an hour later here & I may well have left for work!) and other times I won’t have the chance to post. But I will try to post about every act at some stage!
One of the suggestions for the journal is “Keep a list of all the people you’d like to bless this Lent, and use it to document all the things you learn over the next 40 days.”
To be honest, I’m not sure who I’d like to bless – but I do know, from last year’s 40 Acts, that in many ways it’s easier to be generous to strangers than to those closest to us. I was thinking about how I am not always very generous to Mr FD (I’m not cleaning the litter tray – I did it last week! Oh, he’s not tidied away his yoghurt pot again. Moan. Grumble.) so this year I’m going to try to be generous and not calculating about turns, or who-did-what-yesterday. My 40 Acts will not stop at the front door.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (or of who cleared out the litter tray last…). Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
There was also a link to 17 gratitude-prompting questions for your Gratitude Journal
These may well be worth keeping to consider in the next few weeks…
1) Who do I appreciate?
Lots of people really – although I don’t always tell them so. Mr FD, of course…my family…my friends here in St Just and those back in the UK, especially the Penns, who I have known since college. They are very much the type of friends who you don’t see for a year and when you do it’s as though you saw them yesterday…those who led me to my Christian faith, and those who have nurtured it through the years…my colleagues…my blogging friends…
Perhaps another thing I need to be aware of throughout Lent – and beyond – is how important it is to tell people that you love, appreciate, cherish them.
So Lent has begun! 40 Acts of Generosity – is anyone else inspired? You can sign up here
View from the Teapot 
I love the idea of planting that question in my head: “Who do I want to bless?” I can see it being an ongoing question. “Who do I want to bless today? Who do I want to bless in this situation? Who do I want to bless in this physical location I’m in?” Great way to keep my mind focused on that.
Thanks for linking to my gratitude post! 🙂
hi! This sounds great. Must pop back and try these too!xx