"Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This phrase is one of the options given to be said when we receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. It is not used as often anymore. More frequently one of the other options, such as, "Repent, and believe the Good News!" is used. I used to be rather disturbed by the "dust to dust" phrase; it seemed so morbid. Now I rather like it and wish it was used more often. Thinking about it this past Ash Wednesday, I realized it is not meant to be morbid, so much as to make us reflect on the fact that this life and the things of this life are not ultimate. That does not mean that they are bad, it just means we need to keep things in perspective. All that we encounter in this life is finite and impermanent. We are beings that are created for the infinite, that are created for God. We are enjoined to enjoy this life and to make the most of the time we are given, but also to recognize that nothing in this life can ultimately fulfill us. I have frequently quoted Augustine and will do so again,

"You created us for yourself, O God, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

Augustine's quote should be our guiding image through Lent.

Lent, for me, is a time of retreat. We hear the call from God on Ash Wednesday in the words from Joel 2:12, "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart." I always look forward to Lent as a time of spiritual renewal in my life. It is a time for me to reflect on the fact that I too often try to find fulfillment in the things of this world instead of in surrendering to God. In my head I know that it is only in surrendering to God that I find that peace and freedom I so desperately need, but being that I tend to be a control freak, I just forget to let go! That reminds me of a family story we always tell when teaching someone to water ski. When I was young, we were teaching a friend to water ski, and it did not even occur to us to tell her that if she fell, she should let go of the rope. She did fall, held on and was dragged underwater for several feet before she finally let go. We were all in the boat yelling for her to let go, but she was underwater and could not hear us. Sometimes our spiritual lives are like that. We have fallen and are being dragged underwater so that we cannot even breathe, and all we need to do to recover is let go. Sometimes we hang on until the force of being sucked under finally forces us to let go.

In addition to re-learning the need to surrender to God in Lent, to look for that ultimate fulfillment of our lives in God, Lent is a reminder of how short this life can be. That is another reason I like the phrase, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." I tend to take my life, with all of the people and experiences that entails, for granted. I have frequently told others that we should live our lives more as if each day were the last, appreciating the giftedness of each moment. Doing so puts life in perspective so that we mend broken relationships in a timely matter, and we remember to appreciate the people in our lives and tell them how much they mean to us. Of course, it is much easier to tell others to do this than to do it myself! Lent is a time to ask myself, what would I do if today were my last day on earth? What would I say to the people I love? Who would I make a point to talk to? Do the people who are important to me and who have impacted my life know how they have affected me?

I hope that you will find this Lent a time of spiritual renewal, a time to come to a new appreciation of God and the gift of life. The traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will hopefully help all of us be mindful of what is ultimate in life, what we have been given, and how we appreciate what we have been given. "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return."