The week went by in a blur.
Mundane. Routine. Ordinary.

And perhaps for that,
I should be thankful.

The only difference today
was that it did not rain.

For days now,
it has been raining every afternoon
and well into the evenings.

Today ended
with a family dinner —
yakiniku over a stove.

I’m appreciating
these dinners more,
trying not to take them for granted.

One day,
I might find myself saying
what Mum often says
when she misses her siblings,
her family:

“I’m the only one left.”

I did not fast this Friday.
I did not abstain from meat.
I did not attend Mass
or the Stations of the Cross.

Simply because
Dad felt well enough
to come out
and have a meal together.

Sometimes Lent
is not only about
what I give up.

Sometimes
it is about
being grateful now
for the things
that will one day
slip away.