Lent 2022: Ash Wednesday

 

Ash Wednesday

In 2020 I did a daily Lenten reflection centered on the concept of being rescued and coming home.  In it I introduced and discussed (and obsessed over) our ridiculous rescue dog, Feynman.  I enjoyed the daily discipline and got some nice feedback. So, me being me, I took Lent 2021 off.  But this year, as the world is waking back up, I thought it would be nice to have another go.  Plus, we now have another, even more ridiculous, rescue dog to talk about, so that’ll be fun. 

Meet Libby.  Our son Ryan adopted her during deep lockdown, when all the shelters were empty and everyone was desperate for Covid pets.  Somehow Libby made her way from the streets of a Texas border town all the way up to Seattle and into Ryan’s small apartment and large heart.  They loved each other.  Ryan (quite literally) saved Llibby, and Libby did her part in saving Ryan’s good humor and sanity during the months of being isolated.  It was a good fit, initially—for like an hour.  But then Ryan discovered that Libby couldn’t (could NOT) be around other dogs, not even a little bit.  Shortly thereafter, Ryan discovered that Libby could not be around any people(NO people) other than Ryan.  Oh, she also could not be left alone. So began a symbiotic relationship that kept them both sane but which was ideal for neither.  Trips to the dog park at 11:30 pm were the only way either of them got out consistently.  This was clearly not sustainable. 

I will go into some of the details of the journey in coming days, but fast-forward to today, and Libby is now ours.  And by “ours,” I mean “mine.”  She lives with Ken and me, and she is doing great.  She plays with Feynman, hassles Calvin, and she belongs.  She is still difficult at times, but who isn’t?  She’s home. Which brings me to today, Ash Wednesday, the day of solemn preparation for a time of waiting.  The day where we face our mortality and the brevity of our life here.  The day we prepare for 40 days of intentionality: what distracts me?  What can I discard?  What can I take up?  Is God enough?  Am I going to bite anyone today?



 

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