Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas

Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas: Lent, Embracing the 40-Day Spiritual Journey

• Chris Logan Media • Season 2 • Episode 10

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Step into a journey of reflection and growth as we explore the significance of Lent in our latest episode. Join us as we unpack the meaning behind the 40-day spiritual journey, encouraging personalized practices that connect us closer to Christ. Our lively discussion emphasizes the importance of the three pillars of Lent—fasting, almsgiving, and prayer—steering clear of superficial sacrifices in favor of genuine transformations. 

Together, we share personal anecdotes and offer creative suggestions to make this season meaningful. Whether it’s cultivating a daily devotional practice, giving up a vice, or finding ways to serve the community, you’ll discover diverse perspectives on how to observe Lent authentically. Plus, we challenge misconceptions about this sacred time, inviting everyone, regardless of background, to engage in their version of Lent. By the end of this episode, you’ll be inspired to embark on a fulfilling Lenten journey that encompasses personal growth, spiritual reflection, and community connection.

Don’t forget to engage with us on social media about your Lenten commitments! Subscribe to our podcast, share your experiences, and let’s support each other in our spiritual journeys together!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. Another beautiful episode awaits us.

Speaker 2:

Yes, in a brand new month, it is March already.

Speaker 1:

I feel like we say this every single episode. It's true, it's already.

Speaker 2:

It's already.

Speaker 1:

But it goes by really fast.

Speaker 2:

I know the year's flying by, okay, y'all. This month our grand sponsor is Behold Catholic Ministries. You can see by some lovely merch that we have on. This is our Mother Mary shirt from Behold Catholic Ministries. Their mission is to help women foster a relationship with our mother or with.

Speaker 2:

Jesus through our Mother Mary. Absolutely, they really foster a sense of community among women to help encourage each other and pray together and really just for us to be open to the Holy Spirit so that we learn the voice of God. That's kind of their main mission.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, they have a Mother's Day retreat coming up and there's only 50 spots available, so go get on that. If you haven't, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

It might be already filled. It might be sold out already, because the registration opened March 1st. But go check. They may have some spots left, but it's not going to last long, no.

Speaker 1:

It's a time for cultivating, community growing, sharing and praising, enriching your spiritual journey with the Lord. And their registration opened on March 1st at 7 am.

Speaker 2:

So there's we don't know.

Speaker 1:

We don't know if there's any more spots left by this point.

Speaker 2:

Yes, you can email Behold Catholic Ministries at Gmail. They also have a Facebook page. If you search Behold Catholic Ministries on Facebook, they'll come up and they're on Instagram as well. Or you can text our friend Melissa Van Song. That is who started Behold Catholic Ministries at 337-322-8489. That's the fastest way to find out if there's any more spots to this retreat, if you're interested. So thank you, Behold Catholic Ministries, for being our grand sponsor.

Speaker 1:

All right, today we talking about Lent, and whether you are Catholic or not, a 40-day walk with Jesus is never a bad idea. No, your walk with Jesus should be every day, 365 days a year, that is true. But preparing for Easter Sunday, yes, and what it took for Jesus to get to that day, for us, that's Lent. That's Lent. That's Lent.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's lent, that's lent, that's lent. Yeah, it's almost. It's just a time to like get quiet and try to get out the distractions, purposefully getting rid of the distractions, to focus on your relationship and your faith. And it's 40 days, but, um, I feel like I always try to take something out, like even after. Like, usually I'll try to do, I always try to read my devotionals in the morning, but like I would try to focus more on reading additional scripture to go with it or something you know, and spending more time in the bible, and then, when it's over, I'm like, well, I'm not going to stop now, you know, I'm going to keep it on going.

Speaker 2:

So that's you know. It's a good time to foster a new habit.

Speaker 1:

And so many times, and almost every time for Lent. Maybe there might have been a couple of successes for me, but I always give up something that is so overarching like over the top reaching really far and I'm just like I end up not doing it, you know, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So you know, maybe just a little yeah let's talk about that like how do you decide what to fast from like? And some people don't fast from anything. They will like add a behavior or add something, or they'll do both. They'll fast from something. Try to do something. What was? It like the three pillars like fasting, almsgiving and works of charity maybe or something like that, like they'll try to. I saw it in my post.

Speaker 1:

I mean, yeah, there's like a three word type thing like fast give, pray maybe, maybe so, and like you do extra prayers or something, I don't know y'all are gonna put something in the comments, if you know what that is. Um, because that's definitely a big thing too.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna read uh, I made a post on facebook asking if you, if that whoever was wanting to participate, do you celebrate, lent? And if so, I say celebrate like, do you yeah?

Speaker 1:

do you observe?

Speaker 2:

and if so, what do you fast from or change during that time? Um, and majority were they said that they also. They fast from something, but they also do something else in addition, which I thought was great yeah, I like that.

Speaker 1:

While you're looking that up, I'm going to talk about our, um, our, our sponsor, moyen Moyen. Okay, that's sound. Prevention screenings Okay. They specialize in early detection ultrasound screenings for both women and men, helping to identify potential health issues before symptoms even occur. Did y'all know?

Speaker 2:

this was a thing Like did you know that you could without a doctor's order? If you want to take your health into your own hands, you can find a company like Sound Prevention. Hopefully you will use Sound Prevention if you're local to us. To get ultrasounds of all the major things you know the arteries in your neck, your heart.

Speaker 1:

Your thyroid, your thyroid, yes, your breast yes. Your lady organs thyroid, yes. Your breast, yes. Your lady organs, pelvis area and your manly organs.

Speaker 2:

And your manly organs. You know if you have that too, but this is an option Like if you want to do this, you can, Just for peace of mind.

Speaker 1:

For peace of mind and, honestly, I needed a screening and she offered one to us and we found something in the thyroid. Now you can be proactive about it. Now I can be proactive about it. I'm on a thyroid medication. It explained why I'm kind of sleepy and certain symptoms, all the things. So you can get with Dionne Benoit Benion benoit.

Speaker 2:

Yes, but she has a team too. She has other ladies that do this with her too but oh well, we were just. Yeah, we were blessed with her, though she. It was a great experience with her.

Speaker 2:

She explained everything as she's doing our scans, everything of what we were looking for, looking at um, and it's just that she wants everyone to be proactive in their health and just to know that early detection is key. So you can go to sound-preventioncom that's her website where you can book your appointment. You can also email soundprevention at gmailcom and she will give you all the info you need to be proactive with your health.

Speaker 1:

Very good All right.

Speaker 2:

So, lint, yeah, what are we doing? Let's see what we're doing here. What is everyone doing? Okay, the three pillars, that's what we're talking about. I try to do something in each of the three pillars Fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Okay, we got it. So give up some vice, take on a little more prayer and find some way to show charity. They mirror Christ's moments in the desert. So that is in case you didn't know.

Speaker 2:

That's good to say, that's the why is Lent 40 days? Well, it's between, you know, mardi Gras, ash Wednesday and Easter, and it represents Jesus' 40 days in the desert where he was tempted by Satan and all these things. So that's where the tradition comes from. But someone who is not Catholic, she says we usually do a 30-day fast at church. Social media is my most rewarding fast.

Speaker 1:

That's a good one.

Speaker 2:

That's what I used to do.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

But we also do certain foods. I know a few people that do drinking and even do no meats. Okay, that's another big thing. As Catholics, during Lent, no meat on Ash Wednesday. I mean, I think the diehard ones is every Wednesday, isn't it? Wednesdays and Fridays?

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, definitely not Fridays.

Speaker 1:

There's something, though. I think they said you're actually supposed to fast for meat every Friday, but we't do that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we just do it for uh, but I feel like the old school old school probably yeah, no meat on any Friday, yeah um, let's see only listening to Christian music that's such a good one.

Speaker 1:

I did that.

Speaker 2:

And you will be surprised at how you feel. You change your mindset, your mood, all those things change.

Speaker 1:

I have a friend that said. She said to me the other day and it just stuck with me she said I only listen to Christian music because my ears can't hear anything else. And I'm just like that's so deep though my ears cannot hear anything else and I'm just like that's so deep, though, like my ears cannot hear anything else.

Speaker 2:

Whoa and I was just like yeah, yeah that's, that's great, that's like fact of the matter shout out Leah Broach.

Speaker 1:

Wow, I forgot what your married name is, leah.

Speaker 2:

But okay, let's see. Uh oh, she goes to mass during the week, not just on sunday. So like trying to go to an extra mass or something or go to church extra um, do not eat fast food. Pray the rosary more. I'm gonna add in walking three times a week. During my walk I'll pray the divine, the chaplet of divine mercy oh, that's good yeah, let's see no snacks.

Speaker 2:

But I grew up devout Roman Catholic and my parents were very strict about Lent no snacks or in between meals, the whole six weeks. Baby, our kids would starve, they would think it was like torture and that wait. No meat on Wednesday and Friday. And that did not mean we ate good seafood on those days, neither. It meant we ate tuna, yeah, and we always had to give up something for the whole six weeks. And did not mean we ate good seafood on those days, neither.

Speaker 2:

It meant we ate tuna, yeah, and we always had to give up something for the whole six weeks and did not get it back till Easter morning. Nowadays I try to consciously do something extra every day and I try to still do the no meat on Wednesday and Friday, but I don't beat myself up if I forget.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes you just forget, especially on Fridays, Like you know, I'm like okay, ham sandwich, Make me a ham sandwich. And oh my gosh, You're like oh my.

Speaker 2:

God, it's Friday, I just ate ham. Yeah, gosh.

Speaker 1:

I mean I feel like Jesus forgives?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, certainly he forgives a ham sandwich.

Speaker 1:

He will forgive your ham sandwich too.

Speaker 2:

Yes, let's see what else we got. Oh, chocolate, a lot of people do chocolate and drinking.

Speaker 1:

I feel like that is very hard to do.

Speaker 2:

It can be very, yeah, you know, or sweets, sweets in general, that is so much, I mean you know, you can't even enjoy a little.

Speaker 1:

I mean, where does the line stop, peppermint?

Speaker 2:

I mean you know know, I don't know, if your breath stank, maybe a peppermint's okay, maybe it's okay. You got a little cough, maybe a little peppermint's okay, jesus, don't want your breath to stink. Jesus, don't want people to be talking about you like that, but you know, if you, if you need it in a suite and you like, oh, maybe that peppermint won't count, that's not okay, I think yeah, not a york peppermint.

Speaker 1:

Oh, not a york, I love those yes, um, okay.

Speaker 2:

Everybody says even a few that are not, you know, traditionally catholic. They are baptist or lutheran or whatever they. They do observe lent in some type of way and giving up, you know, something that's dear, dear to you. That's the hard part. Lent was never a big deal, let's see, I'm not Catholic and Lent was never a big deal in my family. For years I would give up drinking during Lent and it felt good, but I never really understood the concept of giving something up for Lent. I wanted to be able to feel a connection between my action and Lent. If I may ask you to deep dive into the spiritual reason why we give up something during Lent and help me I don't think I'm alone, and others understand how, and others understand how giving up certain things during that can bring us closer to Christ.

Speaker 1:

That's so. Yeah, let's do it. This is good, this is. This is why we're talking about this. This is a. This is a conversation.

Speaker 2:

So I mean, I just feel like in a world where we're constantly distracted and we talk about this all the time, even making time to do to read a daily devotional in the morning can be a sacrifice. You know, when you have you hit the ground running and the kids are already awake and they need breakfast and they need to get ready for school and you have a full day ahead. You got to get yourself right. It can be a lot too, and like this morning example, like how to get up, how to get ready to come today and I had things to print out and all this stuff and I'm like I could have just easily just went straight into that, but I was like no, especially on podcast days, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

We got to stay prayed up, so spent that time with the Lord this morning in my devotional, in my scripture reading. But it doesn't have to be I don't know, don't overthink it in the fact that it has to be like life-changing Earth-shattering, because if you've set that bar honestly, you set that bar too far out of reach, too high.

Speaker 1:

The odds of you slipping up are pretty great yeah, and the point is not for you to feel like a failure you know right the point is for you to grow closer to Jesus, so it could be something so small as saying once a day when something goes wrong Jesus, I trust in you. Do you know how close that's going to bring you to the Lord? Because you called out to him, because your help comes from the Lord. Your help comes from the Lord, so I do that all the time in the middle of something that's aggravating me.

Speaker 2:

I'm like Jesus now I need your help. Sometimes we try to pray through gritted teeth.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and we talked about that before, but it's just like something like that, yeah, you know, just realizing in that moment that you're about to lose all of your control, yeah, but your help comes from the Lord. Like it could be something so small like that and that, in 40 days, will make a huge difference in your peace and and you and strengthen your relationship, uh, with christ, and um, I mean what I feel like we creatures of habit, so it takes time for us to develop a habit I feel like that 40 days.

Speaker 2:

It's no coincidence that it's not two weeks or even three weeks, like it's a good bit of time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Because we got to. We need to be repetitive to establish.

Speaker 1:

And we need to reprogram that brain. But even taking a walk, you know, taking a walk every day, that's sacrificing your leisure. It is a leisure time Actually. Walking is nice.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but you can be sitting on the sofa, you can be sitting on your butt, you know um sofa on your butt.

Speaker 1:

You know um go take that walk, say a prayer walk. I did that when I was pregnant for us because I was so miserable and that right there, I was like this.

Speaker 2:

Then you started looking forward to that time.

Speaker 2:

It was such a good time, from a chore to you end up looking forward to it, yeah, go go for a walk, listen to a coffee talk with the cajun mamas on your walk please do, and and tell all your friends about it too, and if you're watching us on our YouTube channel, please let us know in the comments. What are you doing for Lent, what are you sacrificing? What are you adding to in addition to what you already do? We would love to know that. And let's take a second to mention our petite sponsor, parish.

Speaker 1:

Rice oh I love our petite sponsor. Parish rice oh I love so excited about parish.

Speaker 2:

Love me some parish rice. If, in case you didn't know, there is a a white rice on the market. That is better for you, okay and what good news for cajuns? Absolutely, because we eat everything, you know I bought a 25 pound bag of rice and I put a picture up holding it and somebody was like, do y'all ever eat potatoes? And I'm like not really Sweet potatoes.

Speaker 1:

We eat a lot of sweet potatoes.

Speaker 2:

But we are rice people down here and parish rice offers you a higher protein content in their rice 53% more protein, and it's lower on the glycemic index. So if you're diabetic and you can't have rice because it spikes your blood sugar, parish rice is an option for you. Yeah, and it tastes the same y'all. There's no, it's fluffy, it's delicious it's clean yeah, it's clean I don't know, it's higher quality grain.

Speaker 1:

Yes, the grain is so good grain on points on points yes, and it's not just because they're our sponsor.

Speaker 2:

We actually use this rice.

Speaker 1:

We use it all the time yes, you can get it at parishricecom to see a map of all the places you can purchase it.

Speaker 2:

It's in a lot of grocery stores around here, but if you're not local, you could even order it online.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

So go check out parishrice P-A-R-R-I-S-H Ricecom, all right.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so let's talk about what we're going to do for Lent Scary.

Speaker 2:

This is on the spot, because I hadn't quite decided yet Me either.

Speaker 1:

Okay, we have a project we're working on. I'm not going to say what it is, but I'm saying it right now so that we actually do it. So it's a secret project. We're not going to tell you what it is, but I'm putting it out there.

Speaker 2:

Let's use lent as a time to really devote more attention to this. Yes, I like it. I like it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I like that a lot you know, when you say things for lots of people to hear, you're more likely to do it. So you know that's for me about now, give us some time.

Speaker 2:

Okay, this is, this is a kind of a long-term type of thing. But in about, you know, six months or so, I give y'all permit. No, listen, I give y'all permission to check in on us. Yes, say hey, how's that secret project coming? But don't expect it to be done in six months. But just I, you know, I'll give y'all permission yes, ask about it ask about it be on that butt.

Speaker 2:

Okay, but yeah, but you know, doing so we'll also. We're gonna have to get in that word more. We're gonna have to get prayed up. We're gonna stay prayed up more.

Speaker 1:

So that is it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, all right. So I'm putting that, we're putting that out there. Other than that, other than, do you give up something? I don't? I quit doing that Because, man, I just really screw with that up.

Speaker 2:

You know, I felt I used to do no sweets and no alcohol. But that's not a big deal for me because I don't drink much.

Speaker 1:

Like rarely. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So it's like that's not even a sacrifice. Sweets was a sacrifice, but it started to just feel more superficial, you know, like that's not really connecting me more. I don't know.

Speaker 1:

I um, I don't know, maybe we can give up what's? I feel like we don't have any more hours of the day.

Speaker 2:

Maybe we can give up negative thoughts, you know what, though?

Speaker 1:

We got lots of those to stay in the scripture. We have a few people that shared devotionals with us, like that sent us 40-day devotionals. We have at least two of them, or three of them. I know of two, I think, yeah. But you remember we got this big box of stuff from Crossroads. There might have been something for Lent in there too.

Speaker 2:

It might have been. It was Advent, I think.

Speaker 1:

Okay, there was one for Advent too, okay, anyway, so we have a couple of 40-day devotionals, but you know we have done the Bible verse. What's that name of that app? You version? You version bible? You remember there's some linton? Yes, and you can do it with your friends, it's like a plan yeah, yeah the you version bible app they have.

Speaker 2:

They always have good linton uh plans where they'll send you a daily devotional reading and like a guided prayer type stuff and you can invite your friends to do it with you and it kind of it shows who read it and who.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, so you can keep it up with it. Yeah, we ought to do that again with the momtourage.

Speaker 2:

We should do that again that was fun and you can put your prayer request in there and, like your friends, can see it and pray for you and yeah that's a good idea. Be the you version bible app. Y'all go get that.

Speaker 1:

Go get that and you know what, get your friends in on it, send it to them and y'all say we're going to do this.

Speaker 2:

Let's grow in our faith together.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, maybe we can share some of those on Facebook or wherever this podcast airs. We can try to share some of them that we're doing. Yeah, okay, well, try to share some of them that we're doing, yeah, okay.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's great. Now we have a direction for Lent.

Speaker 1:

I'm happy with this. Yes, that's nice. I mean, I don't know if that's what you want to do, but I really enjoyed that. One time I did a scripture writing. It was like you write a scripture every day and it was like a plan. You write this one. It was like a scripture plan. Every day you sit down and you write it. That takes some time, just the scripture.

Speaker 2:

Are you like what it means to you? No, just the scripture, or like how you interpret it?

Speaker 1:

So, just so that you are memorizing them, you write it in a notebook, this scripture, and it was just like you know what it helped you remember them. I don't spend enough time in the word, so that was great for me. Yeah, all right. Okay, let's, uh, let's, let's talk about sound prevention and then we're gonna see on that list okay, because I know we got some good stuff on there okay, all right, sound prevention screenings.

Speaker 2:

Um, they offer comprehensive screenings ultrasound screenings, vascular thyroid, breast, abdomen, pelvis. Their mission is to provide you with proactive, non-invasive screenings vascular thyroid, breast, abdomen, pelvis. Their mission is to provide you with proactive, non-invasive screenings that give you more treatment options by identifying things early. Um, so dion benoit is. She started this company and her story is quite remarkable. She would get the yearly mammograms, uh screenings, even like the ultra 3d type of stuff, and she had breast cancer and the screen.

Speaker 2:

The mammograms missed it. The only reason she found it was because she she did it on herself, if I'm not mistaken like she did the ultrasound on herself and saw it and it was cancer. So from that moment on, she's like I have, I have to advocate for people's early detection, these screenings, yeah, so that's her passion behind it. She just wants to promote awareness and and she had a great point um, this can be thought of as self-care. Okay, so we spend all this money. Oh, that's such a good point. We spend all this money to look good on the outside. What are you doing to be proactive about your, your inside and like your actual health? Will you be here in 10 years or you want to look pretty in 10 years? You know what I'm saying yeah, that's so good.

Speaker 1:

It is a form of self-care yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so you don't need a doctor um to do you don't need a doctor's recommendation to do this. Most insurances don't cover it, but if you have an hsa plan, most will reimburse you for it. So think of it like the best investment you can make in yourself in your you know so if you want more information on what sound prevention can offer, you go to sound-preventioncom, or you can email soundprevention at gmailcom and she will hook you up with all the info you need. Thank you, dion.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, dion. All right, now I want you to go back to that list right there. Not that one? What list? The other one, this one, that one? Let's talk about seafood.

Speaker 2:

Yes, okay, because that for us is, it's a hot button issue because you have some people that that line around the crawfish place is wrapped around on a. Friday during Lent.

Speaker 1:

The sacrifices we make on a Friday.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and some people will say you know, that's not really a sacrifice. You know, eating bald crawfish and fried shrimp, that's not really a sacrifice. And you know, I kind of tend to agree with them, I do.

Speaker 1:

I do Not saying you bad, are you not? No, and I'm not saying I won't partake from time to time.

Speaker 2:

no, because if my family says, hey, let's do this on friday, I'm down yes, okay, but let's make it a point not to have every good seafood meal just because you can't eat meat on fr Fridays. Make sure you actually sacrificing something for the Lord. If you're gonna do it, do it okay. But yeah, lynn is absurd. I mean Lynn's big around here because we are a highly Catholic populate. You know what I'm about to say highly populated Catholic area. Yeah, you, know, so you're gonna find the good seafood around here, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And listen. It's so good though, man, I was just dancing for my crawfish the other day, but it wasn't Friday in it yet. No, but I ain't hating on nobody. No, no, no no, but what kind of things do you eat on a Friday? What is your idea of a sacrificial Friday?

Speaker 2:

Okay, A tuna fish sandwich, tuna fish salad, tuna fish out the pack or the can, eggs, mayonnaise, a little bit of mustard hot sauce pickles. Get out of here with pickles, Not inside.

Speaker 1:

Okay, okay, okay On the side. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I thought you'd put pickles in there On the side.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and for supper eggs probably.

Speaker 1:

Egg sandwich. Egg sandwich, yeah, we don't really. Or cheese pizza, grilled cheese.

Speaker 2:

That type of stuff yeah.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I like to make grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Speaker 2:

Yeah See, not really sacrifice, but Do we have to hate every meal?

Speaker 1:

We don't have to hate it, I'm not going to hate my meals.

Speaker 2:

Okay, Listen, Look, because I'm not going to lie. A little tuna fish sandwich with some Cheetos, that ain't a bad meal to me. That hits. Or some sun chips in the middle of it.

Speaker 1:

I like Doritos cheesy ones.

Speaker 2:

Oh well, that goes without saying.

Speaker 1:

See you, the Cheeto girl. I'm like the Dorito girl, I want them Doritos with my tuna fish sandwich. Holla, if you hear me.

Speaker 2:

I love it. Now look, you put that tuna on some sourdough bread.

Speaker 1:

That's not really a sacrifice none of this is really a sacrifice you know, I guess I should just eat some crackers tuna out the packet with a fork.

Speaker 2:

That's all you get. That's a sacrifice right there, but that is our. That. I'm being hypocritical, I don't try to.

Speaker 1:

I don't try to eat. Uh, you know bald seafood and stuff y'all, let let us know.

Speaker 2:

what do you eat? I don't know.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, I ain't hating on you, but I ain't going out looking for you know, I'm not going to sit in that line.

Speaker 2:

No, no, I'm not going to Lano's Seafood Buffet. You know you can get everything fried over there, oh yeah everything fried. Let's see Mardi Gras. Oh Lord, you know, I don't know how to explain this Like how we go from Mardi Gras to Lent, like the drast, the drast.

Speaker 1:

With no transition. The contrast.

Speaker 2:

Drastic contrast yeah. Full-blown party to fasting, yeah. The drast With no transition. The contrast, drastic contrast. Full-blown party to fasting, yeah, okay.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know, partying is good, but it has its limits. Now, yeah, you know, and listen, I have been on both sides, I have gone all out, and then moderately. Yeah, it's okay to party, but don't act a donkey. Don't act a damn donkey. I have acted a donkey, everybody has.

Speaker 2:

Okay, just want y'all to know that I ain't sitting over here and telling you no, we are not sitting up here on a pedestal, we just trying to be better Christians, better humans.

Speaker 1:

But I'm going to tell you right now I love Jesus, but I'm going to partake in the wine for Mardi Gras, I'm going to partake and then the next day you know, the next day is Ash Wednesday. I think that's a perfect transition.

Speaker 2:

You know, yeah, and I like how our Mardi gras is the sunday. I don't do mardi gras on on tuesday we don't, we don't, I feel like it's not that much of a for us, because we do sunday before and then we got monday and tuesday to just kind of, you know, transition, transition and get ready for those ashes yes on Wednesday yeah, and then that starts it off. You're like you and you ready. At that point I feel ready for a like a fresh start, clean, almost.

Speaker 1:

I don't know yeah, I like that.

Speaker 2:

It's like yeah, fresh start there was, somebody had asked, like one of our videos about Mardi Gras, why do y'all celebrate Mardi Gras? And I'm like never really thought about it. It's just so big down here, you know, and that's probably also because we have such a high Catholic population.

Speaker 1:

It's a time to indulge before the observation of Lent. And that's what it's all about. Time to go get your kids. Time to go get the kids no not today.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's what it's all about. Time to go get your kids. Time to go get the kids? No, not today. Yeah. So anyway, y'all let us know in the comments anything you want to weigh in on on this topic. We just interested to hear perspectives all around the table. Do you give?

Speaker 1:

Do you give up? Do you pray? Do you go for a walk? What do you do? Do you give up or do you give more? Yeah, or both. Oh, I like that. Do you give up or do you give more? Do you both? Okay, I love it. All right. Well, thank you all so much for hanging out with us today. We're going to take this time to mention our grand sponsor. Behold Catholic Ministries. What a time, what a time to have Behold Catholic Ministries, as our big sponsor, miss Melissa Vanson, is our. She, you know, kind of created this ministry and their mission is to help women foster a relationship with our blessed Mother Mary so that we may know that we are beloved daughters of Christ, through studying the Word of God through the Holy Scripture, consecrating our lives to Mary and cultivating holy friendships with like-minded women, inspiring others to be who God truly called them to be in the world.

Speaker 2:

And you know, I know I just read all that stuff, but it's so beautiful it really is. She has also a very interesting story. Did you read about Miss Melissa's story?

Speaker 1:

I talked to her on the phone and she's just a delightful person. So you go ahead.

Speaker 2:

She said okay, so I'm going to try to summarize so it's not too long. But basically, she was at a very low point in her life, um, and went to bed one night, not wanting to wake up the next morning, and Jesus appeared to her in a dream. Yeah, um, jesus came to me in a vision, pulled me from the bottom of my pool and told me I will save you, but I want you to do two things for me have a relationship with me and my mother. I immediately went to confession the next morning and father was so gentle. As I told him, crying in shame, he said I was lucky. Wait, he was lucky. I was here because I was hoping I wouldn't wake up in the morning. Oh, that's what she told the priest, with soft words, the eyes of jesus and the voice of the holy spirit. He said well, I'm glad you're here and my journey of healing began and a retreat was born. Oh, so that that is her, her story of why she created this ministry. Go look her.

Speaker 1:

Go look, behold Up, this is so good, you know, because that's not talked about enough, you know.

Speaker 2:

Don't let. You might see someone at their highest, you know, or you don't know how far they've come. You know, you don't know who was at their lowest point and didn't even want to wake up the next morning, and then now they're helping all these other women like you can't, you just don't know. And this is great. Glad that she, that she did. What a gal, miss melissa.

Speaker 1:

All right, thank you, miss melissa thank you so much for being a part of coffee talk with the cajun mam. We can't wait to see how your mission and your ministry grows through this.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

So y'all go to BeholdCatholicMinistries at gmailcom. You can email her there or they are on Facebook.

Speaker 2:

Behold.

Speaker 1:

Catholic Ministries on Facebook. They're also on Instagram. You can text Miss Melissa, she's just got a y'all. Let us know if you need some more information. We got it here.