As we were preparing the Easter eggs for the kids, I thought about our past Easter egg hunts and came across this little video. From what I can remember, my family used to shut all the blinds/curtains while they put the eggs around the back yard. Then all of us kids would gather some paper grocery bags and wait on the bag porch until we were given the go-ahead. As you’ll tell from this video, Eric got a head start because he was the youngest, then me, and finally all the older kids.
Today is Ash Wednesday, which for those of you who don’t know, marks the first day of Lent.
I’m actually disappointed that I had class this morning because I was hoping to go to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to attend Mass and celebrate with the students there. No, I’m not Catholic anymore… but I am still a Christian and this is one of those dates on the Christian calendar that Grace doesn’t formally celebrate. I remember when I attended Saint Luke’s Catholic School and we’d have Mass on the morning of Ash Wednesday which would be followed by going to the Narthex (lobby) and have a cross placed on a forehead using ashes.
According to Wikipedia, these ashes typically come from the burning of the palm leaves used the previous year for Palm Sunday. These ashes are then blessed before placed on the forehead. Why do we put ashes on our forehead? As a visible reminder that we are dust and to dust we will return (Genesis 3:19). Some people use this day also as a day of when confessions are made and make a choice to give up something for 40 days (length of Lent).
I think when I was in Catholic school, I gave up chicken liver… which was extrememly easy because I hated it. Ha ha! To read more about Ash Wednesday, check out:
