Wednesday 9 March 2011

Ash Wednesday


We had the best pancakes I've ever made last night. Small fantastic non-stick pan and a Delia Smith recipe. I think it was the added couple of spoonfuls of melted butter that made the difference to the mixture. Lemon dashed on top and then rolled. Delicious.

And then today is Ash Wednesday. A Christian man was talking on the radio about it. I love it when I learn something new as I did from what he said. Ash Wednesday is to remind us that when we die we turn to ash. Not that we go on to something else, but that we die. Only God is immortal. We are not.
When dying, people were often surrounded by family. Last wishes said. Nowadays in most circumstances everything is done to keep people alive. So often people die in hospital hooked up to a machine. Death is not considered part of the natural cycle by many but a challenge we must put off. Don't let it happen.

But we are not immortal. Death is part of the cycle. We die and we turn to ash.
Death is a reminder that we must make the best of being alive. Not waste it. Life isn't just a series of 'do this, do that, do the next thing.' It is about making the most of every minute, everything we do, how we do what we do. And the people we spend all these minutes living amongst.
Death gives an urgency to life. It gives life meaning. Today is a reminder of that.

So what wonderful thing am I going to do today to celebrate this? Sit here and write! Because I have to get it down. Tomorrow I may forget.
But I'm going to try harder this year to remember what Ash Wednesday is about and not merely about the first day I'll have a go at giving up something I like.

There's a Yeats' poem that sums this up. I can't find it at the moment, but I'll keep looking.

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