With this being Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, I decided that it is a good time to get back to the practice of writing my blog with some regularity. There is a healthy discipline in putting my thoughts down in a readable, and hopefully sensible format, both for myself and, maybe even for others.
The word "Lent" comes from an old English word meaning "Spring". If ever there was a winter that begged for the coming of that season of renewal and rebirth, it is this one. Snow upon snow, moved around by wind after wind, followed by cold, clouds, fog and occasional sunshine have tested the mettle of many a hearty soul these past months. Even the toughest of the tough are ready for a break as cabin fever surpasses the common cold as the illness of conversation.
Two weeks ago, a woman who had moved here to the Midwest from her native country of The Philippines, came into our auto dealership to have her car serviced. She commented on the severity of the winter we are experiencing. As I commiserated with her by telling her that it was severe even by the standards of those who grew up in Iowa, I was able to offer her a little hope. I told her that in the 68 winters that I had lived, there has never been one that was not followed by spring at some point. I expected that this one would be no exception.
But when, on this past Monday, I became stuck in a snow drift on our country road and required assistance from our neighbor to get pulled out, I knew that I too was ready for spring. Lent is the season to remind us that change, new life, rebirth is available to us if we only acknowledge our limitations, our imperfections, our inability to "pull ourselves out" of the mess we are in. When we accept being "stuck in the drift", Lent can happen to us again, and new life can spring forth in the depths of our hearts. May this Lent be such a time for all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment