Let Easter light shine on new ways

COLCHESTER, Vt. (Catholic Online) - The message of Easter is about new life and a way to incorporate new individual life changes is to consider carrying on Lenten ways into daily living after Easter Sunday.

Listed below are 40 ways to care and share during the season of Lent and/or anytime at all: 1. Have special time to walk outdoors with your spouse and/or children and let them know how special they are. 2. Encourage your children to talk about a topic of their choice, and really listen to what they are saying. 3. Set time set aside for reading to children. 4. Make an effort to have family meals more regularly, even a fun meal like pizza. 5. Make a quick stop at a relative's house for an overdue visit. 6. Remember to say grace at mealtime. 7. Pray in the evening alone, as a couple and/or as a family. 8. Pray the rosary together. 9. Go to the library to find artwork by the masters that relates to religion. 10. Volunteer at a food shelf to help prepare a meal. 11. Sort through closets and give away outgrown clothes to a charity. 12. Offer some time to help out at the parish. 13. Read from a meditation book. 14. Make a visit to a nursing home. 15. Offer to have children's friend, especially one experiencing trouble in their life, over for a meal. 16. Call a friend that you haven't talked to in some time. 17. Have family discussions about the teachings of the Church, the Sunday homily and/or catechism lessons. 18. Share some your favorite music with the family and ask that they do the same, encouraging dialogue about music and creating a new way to spend time together. 19. Begin to plan for planting and caring for a garden. 20. Prepare new recipes that are related to the season of Lent. 21. Plan for an extra special family celebration each week. 22. Go to Mass on days other than on Saturday and Sunday. 23. Find time for play as a family, experiencing how positive it is share joy together. 24. Take time to listen and look at the natural wonders that God has created. 25. Go to confession. 26. Keep some fresh flowers or a flowering plant as a reminder of spring and the coming of Easter. 27. Sit and meditate in a prayerful way. 28. Do some arts and craft projects with young children. 29. Participate in charity programs similar to Operation Rice Bowl. 30. Write an overdue thank you note to someone who has done a kindness. 31. Call a friend or relative that has recently experienced a loss. 32. Have a regular family reading hour. 33. Create a gratitude list as a family, adding one or more items each day. 34. Begin spring housecleaning or indoor projects in a present state of prayer and a joyful spirit. 35. Take time to review negative behaviors. 36. Consider ways to create more positive behaviors. 37. Give away smiles. 38. Try to avoid complaining and criticizing. 39. Offer to help with someone else's project. 40. Offer prayers of thanks in the morning and at the end of the day. If our efforts to make changes falter, we can remind ourselves that we are not perfect. We can also remember that we are given the gift starting the process over again and taking another opportunity to consciously make choices in line with the life we have been taught to live as Catholics. - - - Mary Carty is Home and Family editor at Catholic Online.

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