Ash Wednesday

The Blogging Blues….

So yesterday there was no blog. That was unfortunate. I really tried to think up a topic, but nothing came to me. I committed to writing every day for a year and now I slipped up. I hated to do it. I was grasping at straws. I thought this was going to be a lot easier than it is. Some days are a piece of cake and I can write about what is going on in my life or a memory or something that made me angry. Yesterday it was Verizon again! Two days without a dial tone and that means no DSL also. I just blogged about Verizon, so what can I do? The frustration of dealing with them took first place over all my other thoughts. I tried calling repair with my cell phone (thank God they were invented), but their automated system does not recognize it when I press “1” for home and “2” for repair. They keep saying “sorry, I didn’t understand, please press “1” for home” over and over until they finally put a person on the line. This just happened on February 22^nd and has been ongoing sing July, 2009. The cables are old, but they don’t want to replace them. Instead me and other customers in the area go without service that we are paying more than enough for. It’s supposed to be fixed by 8 tonight. I am not holding my breath. And that’s why I was not able to focus on yesterday’s blog. If this happens again I may have to change the title of my blog to the “Verizon Chronicles!” Maybe I should have used a cookbook to cook my way through?


Today’s Blog:


Ash Wednesday

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, the last hurrah before the holy season of Lent begins. We don’t really celebrate it here as they do in other countries where they taking the fasting during Lent much more seriously. Catholics are expected not to eat meat today and all Fridays during Lent (unless they are under 15, over 59, pregnant or ill…basically, just the working people). Catholics are also expected to give up something for lent, like chocolate. It’s a good time to start a diet and kill two birds with one stone.

Ash Wednesday is known as the day Catholics go to church to get ashes placed on their forehead as a sign you are sorry for your sins. The ashes come from the burning of the previous year’s palms leftover from Palm Sunday. Many Catholics will go to church to receive ashes today. When I was a kid, people who went to church just for ashes and palms were called A&P Catholics. The only time they visit church is when something is being given out for free. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I don’t make this stuff up.

I used to give up chocolate or chips as a kid. We didn’t eat meat on Fridays, but that was because my mother used to take a day off from cooking and order pizza. We weren’t that religious. My father was an A&P Catholic. Those were the only two times during the year he went to church, for ashes and palms.

Catholics are supposed to fast until Easter Sunday. Then there is a big meal, family and celebrating. There are lots of colored hard boiled eggs everywhere and chocolate bunnies. The Easter rabbit managed to worm his way into Easter, with his gifts, chocolates and eggs. How this pagan managed to become linked with a very religious, holy day is something I will have to look into and write about closer to Easter. Maybe if I get mental constipation again. But, make no mistake, every child is more concerned with the Easter Rabbit than the real meaning of Easter, just as Santa Claus has taken precedence over Jesus’ birthday.

I won’t be going to get ashes today, but I am sorry for my sins. I have issues with the Catholic Church and find it impossible to adhere to their laws when those who run it fail to do so.