It is just about that time again. Soon it will be Lent, and it will be time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. I do not know about anyone else, but when I reflect on my attempts to grow spiritually during Lent, I probably have had more misses than hits.

As a child, I would always try to convince my parents that I would fast by giving up watermelon. Unfortunately, my parents were quite aware that watermelon was not readily available in Wisconsin during the late winter and early spring months. They also knew that I did not like watermelon.