(DISCLAIMER: This post is pretty sentimental. Also somewhat brief. I guess you could call it “short and sweet.” #BarelyAPun)

Ash Wednesday signifies the beginning of Lent in Western Christianity. It is a time for fasting, but many people choose to add something to their daily regimen. Whether it’s scheduled times to pray or performing at least one good deed, these can also be reminders of the season of personal sacrifice. (Sidenote: “Season of Personal Sacrifice” would make a great death metal Christmas song.)

This year, my Lenten promise is to write 40 letters to 40 people in 40 days.

Inspired by my friend, Kansas City Christian senior Alex Luger, I have set out to write a letter to someone…

1. I respect
2. who is sick
3. I taught
4. who is family
5. who walks to the beat of their own drummer
6. I admire
7. who is a good friend
8. who was a classmate
9. who is a random person in my friend list or address book
10. I work with
11. who is a father figure
12. who offered me forgiveness
13. I am proud of
14. who is struggling
15. who is a new friend
16. who is like family
17. who shares an inside joke with me
18. who is lonely
19. I admire
20. who is mourning
21. who is a mother figure
22. who hurt me
23. I miss
24. I’ve known for as long as I can remember
25. who makes me smile
26. I am proud of
27. who walks to the beat of their own drummer
28. who is really smart
29. who taught me
30. who works for justice
31. who is kind
32. who is humble
33. who is or was a mentor
34. who is proud of me
35. who is young
36. who is a great dancer
37. who doubted me
38. I shared a great meal with
39. who might be fearful
40. who is expectant

(Yes, some of them repeat.) 🙂

I’ll use random.org to pick a number each day and write. If possible, I’ll give them a physical copy, but I’ll post all my letters to a Wix site I’ve created so I don’t clog up everyone’s news feeds or dashboards.

But why am I even doing this? Well, it’s threefold:

1. The standard religious reason – sacrificing something (in this case, some of my free time) to bring myself closer to Jesus in his time of suffering. That’s present in all Lenten promises.
2. I hate giving things up for Lent. Not because I have to forgo something, but because I will inevitably forget and then feel like a failure. It’s the same reason why my New Year’s resolutions are “Exercise more” instead of “Go for a run twice a week.” These holidays aren’t about feeling guilty or sad; they’re about striving to be better, more well-adjusted people.
3. I have a lot of feelings I’d like to express, but sometimes I feel like I come off weird. Either I seem too strong or I can’t adequately piece my thoughts together and I just blather on and on… But I really do want to express the love I have for my friends and family.

So watch for my letters each evening! 🙂

(P.S.: If I don’t write to you, it’s not because I love you less than I do others. I’m only doing this for forty days, but there are at least 400 people I’d write to if I had the time.)