Ash Wednesday: From Dust to Dust

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is a great time to inspire us to live life to the fullest and experience the great gift of joy.  The day after is Ash Wednesday a day where we are reminded that "we are dust and to dust we shall return." Ash Wednesday ushers in the season of Lent.  The season teaches us to live a life appreciative of joy but cognizant that one day we, in the words of Shakespear, will be "shuffled off this mortal coil"and every moment is precious.  What a great inspiration to live a sterling life and to make the absolute most of the opportunities we are presented.

The Rev. Pamela Dolan writes in her blog on St. Louis Today that "Poets have always known that part of what makes life so sweet and so precious is its very limited duration-life is but a passing shadow or, as the Psalmist puts it, "our days are like the grass;we flourish like a flower of the field; when the wind goes over it,it is gone, and its place shall know it no more." The ashes remind us of our mortality, but also of the gift of everlasting life. Both can be embraced through receiving and accepting the same simple yet profound symbol. "Check out Rev. Dolan's full post here: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/civil-religion/pamela-dolan/article_c7ebb598-49d2-11e0-a0b8-00127992bc8b.html