Happy Ash Wednesday!

I know that’s probably not the correct salutation for Ash Wednesday – a solemn day when Christians remember that “from dust we come, and to dust we shall return.” But I have grown to appreciate Lent (the season that begins today) over the past few years, and this year I feel almost eager for it to begin.

Why? Because two years ago, I began participating in #UULent, a six-week practice of mindfulness using social media. #UULent was created two years ago by UU Religious Educators Barb Greve and Karen Bellevance-Grace. They created a calendar with one word for each day of Lent – words like devotion, justice, faith. The challenge was each day to carry that word with you, find an image that captures some aspect of it, snap a picture and post it on social media with the hashtag UULent. You can read more about why and how it was created here.

I have appreciated this practice for several reasons. I’ll share just a couple with you. First and foremost, it forces me to be aware of something other than the sometimes too-hectic rush of everyday life. On the days when the practice felt hard, I would reflect on that: what was It about my day that made it hard to be aware? Was it the word? Was it my schedule? The practice also asked me to look at the world in a different way. My preferred artistic outlet has always been photography, so I appreciated the chance to look at my world in an artistic way.

I’ll be participating again this year, and I invite you to follow along, and join in! I’ll be posting on Facebook, and look forward to seeing what you come up with if you choose to join me. That’s the final piece that I appreciate about this practice: seeing the world through other’s eyes. Inevitably, people have different visions of each word. It always deepens my own interpretation to see what others have chosen for their image.

Here is the calendar for this year. Hope to see you and your images online!

Blessings,

Allison