Looking out my March-window shows mixed signs of spring resting on a snow shovel. But Ash Wednesday is Wednesday and there’s something about the day that makes me look forward to everything un-winter. In my soul . . . The beginning of the Lenten season seems to shake winter right out of the heart to create space for the … [Read more...]
Desert to Destination
No matter how early Ash Wednesday comes every year we always have the assurance spring is waiting around the cold corner to unveil the earth with new life. It’s Ash Wednesday – almost. And it brings hope and a 40-day journey that has purpose and destination. Resurrection. Lent, an Old English word meaning spring, begins … [Read more...]
Desert or Dessert
It seems no matter how early Ash Wednesday shows up on the calendar, we have the assurance Spring is waiting around the cold corner to pour out new life and breath. While the earth sleeps under a heavy blanket of snow, we’re called to wake up during Lent. We need a season of new beginning just as the earth needs to … [Read more...]
Fastnachts and Forty Days
What is? . . . starch squares or rounds made with potato flour, sugar, lard, and weighs in with 12 to 21 grams of fat? We stand in bakery and grocery lines once a year for them . . . a fastnacht! A popular Pennsylvania tradition we celebrate in our area is Fastnacht Day. A German word meaning before the fast. Fried bread … [Read more...]