I attended Ash Wednesday mass today. That was a new experience. When I realized I would miss the service with my church family this week because I was out of town, I determined to find somewhere to gather with the body.

And the time there, the whole experience... it was another new way to encounter the God of healing in the middle of a desert.

Trusting the gathered body isn't always something I would choose to do alone. But intentionally seeking it out and choosing to sit quietly in my discomfort created space to meet God in a whole new way today.

I came to quiet the voices today.

Voices that tell me that the dust

is evidence of needing more work.

Divinity met me there,

whispering sacred words of welcome.

I sought out the stillness today.

Stillness that is often hurried away

in the rush of "normal" life.

Productivity came along in the

business of rest.

I prayed for energy today.

Energy to press on

through endeavors that shout loudly of past failures.

As I admitted exhaustion,

God granted the deep longing of my heart,

fostering connection and removing shame.

I went this morning searching for hope.

Hope that the grief, the loss,

the feeling of complete emptiness would pass.

Instead, grief greeted me like an old friend,

reminding me that pain is not hopeless.

Today, I felt the weight of the ashes on my forehead,

the impact of the cross on my life,

and the reality of the work that is still to do.

Instead of crushing me with the reminder,

the dust was a welcome call to press on.

May you, too, find strength and space to lean in.

I love you, friends.