Ash Wednesday

Rend your hearts; not your garments.

Joel 2:13

It was only after I had taken a bite of my sausage McMuffin that I remembered it was Ash Wednesday and that I was going to be a vegetarian during Lent. Oops. I had been spending the week with my friend, C, who is in the hospital, which explains both the food choice and the confusion about the date.

Hospital time is strange. It manages to be stressful and tedious at the same time. I lose track of the days. I do some serious “emotional eating.” I tend not to sleep well.

And yet I really loved being there.

As I take my rather feeble first step in my Lenten journey, I’ll be thinking a lot about C in her deep suffering. I’ll also be pondering the moments of grace and consolation I experience when I am at her side.