Hodgepodge - February 18

Linking up with Joyce At From This Side of the Pond for another edition of Hodgepodge.

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season? 

Ash Wednesday and Lent were not part of the faith tradition I followed for most of my life. Now, in the Anglican Church, the season has rich meaning. We may go to church this evening, but a winter storm that’s raging may cause us to rethink that. I’m following along with Lectio 365 for the season and still debating about giving something in particular up for the duration of Lent.

2. Pancakes...are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

I’m a purist: butter and maple syrup. Enjoyed them last night for supper with some Canadian bacon!

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt 'spread too thin'. 

I felt like I was spread too thin in a couple of ways for most of 2025 and am paying for it now as I try to find my balance again.

4. What's your favorite jewel or gemstone? In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

Diamonds and blue sapphire are my favourites. My wardrobe has lots of black—every pair of pants and capris, and a few of black shirts—complimented by assorted gem-coloured (teal, royal blue, purple) t-shirts and sweaters. I buy all of my clothes from the same place so mixing and matching is easy. 

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

I was a manager in my working years and have been a ministry lead in a couple of areas at church over the years. People management is the most challenging and can also be the most rewarding. We’re a complicated species! I’ve decided that my “being in charge” years are behind me.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I just finished reading The Life Impossible by Matt Haig. It was a bit of a different read for me, but I enjoyed it immensely. Thought I’d share some parts I highlighted that made me pause and think.

“We are never at the finish line of understanding.”

“I suppose that is one of the purposes of reading. It helps you live lives beyond the one you are inside. It turns your single-room mental shack into a mansion.”

“The one good thing about having regrets is that I no longer judge others too harshly. Every single person on this planet is a contextual and the circumstances of that context can never be seen fully,”

“This is the challenge of life, isn’t it? Moving forward without annihilating what has gone before. Knowing what to clasp onto and what to release without destroying yourself, trying not to be the meteor and the dinosaur at once.”