Ash Wednesday

This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, a day that always makes me giggle at my own ignorance.

You see I'm a southern girl, born in Kentucky, lived in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Georgia.......not a lot of Catholics.
In addition, I am a heathen, I have never been baptised or educated in religion.
I like religion, it fascinates me and I do believe in God, I just never read the book.
I have the basic "be a good person and don't judge or hurt others" down, I just don't have all
of the stories.

Don't get me wrong, I've heard of Ash Wednesday my entire life, I just had no idea that it was a "thing".

When I moved to New York City at the ripe old age of 27, I was in for a little shock.

New York City is full of Catholics, loaded with em in fact.

So that morning I started out on my day, just like any other day, and I saw a woman with schmutz on her forehead.
Luckily something told me NOT to advise her that she has schmutz on her forehead.
I was glad of that intuition because when I got to the train station........schmutz everywhere.
Walking from the station to my office in Manhattan......schmutz, schmutz, schmutz.
Even the receptionist at my office had schmutz on her forehead.
Obviously I was out of the loop.

As I sat at my desk, perplexed, I realized.....Ash Wednesday....they have ash on their forehead......WHY?

I immediately called my Mother.
She had just recently converted to Catholicism (that's another story for another time)
"Why do all these people have schmutz on their heads?"


(this is not my Mothers explanation.....this is much better)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Wednesday

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes (formally called The Imposition of Ashes) on the foreheads of adherents as a celebration and reminder of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.^[4]

"Oh, alrighty then, I feel better"
Another little thing about me, I can't stand to not know something. It's ok to not know it initially, but once I know I don't know, I have to find out. Back before smart phones I used to jot down words or things that were foreign to me so that I could look them up later.
If I am sitting with you and I suddenly pull out my phone, chances are I am looking up or writing down a word that you have said that I don't understand. I know it's still rude but I can't help it....its an illness ;)

So now that I am back in Atlanta, I don't see as much schmutz so it's actually a sweet reminder for me when I see that tell tale black blob on someones forehead.

It's supposed to look like this

   









but more often it looks like this

Happy Lent everyone........Easter (SPRING) is on it's way :)