LENT

Ash Wednesday was always intriguing.  My Catholic friends went to church to get smudges of ashes on their forehead. It wasn't until I was an adult that I gave in to that long coveted ritual.

I lived in Chicago at the time and worked in the Loop. On my lunch hour, I went to a nearby Catholic Church and got my long awaited ashes. Then, also on my lunch hours, I did the Stations of the Cross for the entire Lenten period.

 The daily rehearsal of the Stations was a daily retelling of the story of the journey to the cross and beyond.

I go back often to the daily journey of that particular season in Chicago. I am reminded with each visit that the truth is, To Die is To Live.

What does that mean?

To give up expectation of what I prefer reality to be and live reality as it is can be an occasion of great joy.