So, I started this post on Ash Wednesday. . . and am finishing it almost a week later. ..
For me Ash Wednesday has always held an importance. Not only does it mark the beginning of Lent, but I was born on it and it fell on my birthday several times while I was growing up. . .
It used to amaze me while at University how many Catholics came out of the woodwork on Ash Wednesday. . . you would see them all wondering around campus with ashen crosses on their foreheads. . . I think it might have had something to do with the outward sign that caused its popularity. . .
This year was different for me. . . it is the first Ash Wednesday I’ve ever spent in England. . . it also is the first time I’ve had people tell me I had dirt on my forehead and ask me if I’d been doing painting with Nicholas that morning. . .
I was further shocked when I realized that many Brits have no idea why Ash Wednesday is so named. . . which oddly enough led me to finding some information about it on the BBC. . .
Nicholas didn’t comprehend the significance. . . and manage to wipe his ashes on the shoulder of my jacket before mass was even over. . . he spent the rest of the day pulling me down to his level so that he could kiss my forehead and make me all better. . . I think he thought I had an ouchie on my forehead. . . =)
We had a light lunch and a simple supper and our lenten journey began. . .
What do you do to mark Lent?
