Approaching Lent 2010

When my son was very young, made an interesting comment to my sister-in-law during one of her many visits. She was trying to sleep in on a Saturday morning, he and his sisters were playing next to her bed. When an argument broke out, my sister in law sat up and ordered them all to leave the room. Because she is a beloved aunt (the reason they were playing next to her bed), everyone left sadly and quietly. Tim however stopped just inside the threshold, turned with a scolding look--and even at age 5 he was the master of dirty looks-- and barked, "The problem with you, Judie, is you don't have a grateful spirit!" Of course she laughed. So did I when she relayed the incident to me, and 25 years later I laugh still, mainly from her response to Tim's comment: "He was right," she mused; "I don't have a grateful spirit."