A Reason for Dying

Coincidence seems to be occasionally transcended, and this to me is one of those times. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar, marking the beginning of the season of Lent that is defined as the 40 days (not counting Sundays) that precede Easter. In many minds Lent is the time to give up chocolate, smoking, or any number of would be vices to which it will be alright to return on the first Monday after Easter. Mardi gras (which, if I remember my French correctly, means “fat Tuesday”) and Carnival are two of the rather irrational indulgences in gluttony and hedonism that occur prior to the supposed forty days of going without. I suspect that most Lenten sacrifices are about as short-lived as New Year’s resolutions. With great thanks, however, for Rachel’s words of encouragement (see her comments on An Endless Tale, 02/15/07), I am realizing the potential for healing through finishing what I have started, namely the recounting of my days in The United Methodist Church. No longer associated with any organized religion, there is little reason for me to pay attention to the Christian calendar except to discover once again its inherent value of preparing for the death that must precede resurrection. And so, my Lenten journey will continue on the path of expose, but now with the purposeful intention of putting this period of my life to rest forever so that I may more fully live the new life that has grown from those ashes.