Lent is a time in every Catholic's life that means sacrifice. When I was younger I would give up things like soda, candy, and others that seemed at the time impossible to let go of, but now that I am older I have realized that those were the smallest things. This year, as lent approached I dug deep into my thoughts about what would be something that could really make a change. I prayed a lot about it and asked myself what God would think I should do. It was then that I realized material things weren't going to be what I would "sacrifice" this time around.

For the 40 days that make up lent, I decided to put away all the negativity I had in my life. I stopped thinking about all of the things that were going wrong in my life and started to be thankful for all of the beautiful things I have in my life. I would wake up every morning and be happy that I get to experience yet another 24 hours on this earth with all of the people that I love. Complaining would no longer be a daily activity necessary to relieve my stress, but rather channeling that into doing good and seeing that my problems are not as big as I think them to be. A positive attitude can mean the difference between having a terrible or a wonderful time and I chose to make the best of everything.

This year, I am happy to say that I am following in the spirit of the person who sacrificed for us all, and I am finally beginning to see what kind of world God intended us to live in.