Forty Days and Forty Nights

this is the third day of holy week, and lent is coming to an end as easter approaches. i am thinking back over my experience of lent this year. my spiritual discipline of using the words, "lovingkindness, compassion, generosity," to remind me to be less critical of others has made a huge difference in my day-to-day life, prompting me to look at the motivation of those that i would otherwise criticize. i can't say that i was completely successful in my intentions, but i can say that i was less prone to make negative comments about others and more likely to look for alternative explanations of actions that displeased me. now the challenge will be to enlarge on this attitude of lovingkindness, compassion, and generosity towards those of whom i would otherwise speak or think ill. my prayer is that each of us will become more loving and tolerant, respecting others and believing in their innate goodness even when they behave in ways that we fail to understand.