IT'S ASH WEDNESDAY EVEN IN UKRAINE. SEIZE THE DAY.

I've backed away from the news this afternoon to retreat from sorrow for all those under the thumb of Vladimir Putin and his war.  In this country we have that selfish luxury.  There is such a disconnect between the lives of some and the lives of others. Do I deserve a quiet day when Ukrainians are in bunkers or fleeing?  Maybe some of you feel that way too; readers this week live here in the US, in Canada and the UK, and in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Japan and Sweden.  A deep thank you to each of you.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday for Christians, when we respect our mortality by wearing the sign of the cross in ashes on our foreheads.  Some Ukrainians no doubt will be wearing this too. The day begins the six-week Lenten penitential march to Easter Sunday.  The beautiful circle of the church year is a gift to worshipers:  Advent, Christmastide, Ordinary Time, Lent, Eastertide, then Ordinary Time again.  Each season comes around as quickly as a birthday or New Year's Eve.  We seem to move between repentance and celebration as surely as morning turns to night.  Our Lord is born, our Lord dies, our Lord is risen.  All religions have their beauty. I think of the Islamic call to prayer, haunting and rhythmic; who wouldn't answer that call? 

So we have the world, we have our faiths, and we have our ordinary days of work, griefs and simple pleasures.  Everything cycles, our minds and hearts included.  The symmetry is amazing:  daylight to darkness, winter to spring to summer to fall; but also good to evil, peace to war, repetition that does not delight but newly stuns, as now when a bully attacks its neighbor, sudden if not unexpected.  

We know the phrase carpe diem, seize the day.  Perhaps when we stand back from the news and let our empathy have a momentary respite, that's what we're doing--seizing the day. Surely it is never selfish to be grateful . . . especially when so many of our blessings seem to be simple luck:  where I was born, who my parents were, how I was nurtured, my health . . . .  Life is hard but not equally so for all.   

There is so much goodness each day.  So much beauty in everyday things.  On the best days, bright mornings, busy afternoons, restful evenings.  Each the same and yet completely new. Or maybe all your days are busy:  children, work, spouse, supper, laundry, then bed. But these are simple pleasures too, aren't they?  Children who need us; a job well-done that puts money in our pocket; a spouse to share the load; no one hungry; clean clothes; a cool pillow and warm blanket.  Each of those things we want for those in need as well. 

I will turn the news back on tonight for President Biden's State of the Union address.  As a country, we no longer need to be ashamed of our president.  We can work with NATO and the European Union on the life and death issues of peace and our warming planet.  And we can take time for self-care and gratitude when our hearts and minds beckon us to. Then tomorrow, if you happen to be Christian, you can begin your Lenten journey with a smudge of ashes.