Emma, upon leaving the Ash Wednesday service and after several discussions about Lent and Ash Wednesday:  “Mom, can we get a donut?”

After another conversation about Lent and Ash Wednesday, I think she got the connection.  Parenting is such an interesting occupation - it certainly keeps you on your toes in so many different ways!

On a totally different note, I am very glad for liturgical seasons.  I am really glad that it is Lent.  It seems perhaps a little strange to say that, kind of like greeting someone with “Happy Ash Wednesday!” (which Emma did when my Mom came to the door) but upon further reflection it doesn’t seem quite so contridictory after all.  We humans tend to dislike facing our short-comings, sins, and obsessions and we really don’t like the changes that are required to try and change our behaviors!  This doesn’t seem like the attitude we should take though, rather we should be open and willing to examine our consciences and our foibles to try and get closer to God and to improve ourselves in our callings.  Even though I am certainly no different than the average person in this regard, I am rather looking forward to this opportunity to dig in a little deeper and try to ferret out, examine, and work on something I feel is standing in the way of developing a closer relationship with God and in improving my commitment to my vocation as a wife and mother.

Granted, this sort of introspection and improvement could be done at anytime and without the prompting of the Church, but it certainly helps to be doing this in community.  Having everyone around me going through this and having the liturgy and readings reinforce the themes of conversion, penitence, and God’s continual love for his people is a very powerful experience.  I feel sad for the vast swath of Christianity that has abandoned these liturgical seasons, and I feel even more sad for those who are in liturgical churches and don’t appreciate the opportunity they have been given!