Lent is a season of the church when Christians are encouraged to focus more seriously on our faith. Fasting, reading scripture, prayer and examining our ethical life are regular practices we focus on more during Lent.

The holidays are over . . . Now it’s time to get back to normal. Take down the decorations, pay the credit card bills, check out our new gifts, put the bags of ripped wrapping paper in the garbage, finish up the eggnog, watch someone else’s team in the NFL playoffs, and catch up on our rest by skipping church to sleep in Sunday . . . Wait! What was that last one?

“All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey. I’ve been for a walk, on a winter’s day.”

Some of you remember that line from The Mamas and the Papas song. It describes how it feels right now - grey, cold, dark, dingy....winter. As each day becomes shorter, and darker, and colder, we can feel the impending sludge of winter coming down upon us. Depressed yet??

Many years ago when I was a lot younger, I was visiting my Mom and Dad. As I was leaving, my Dad asked if I could help him move a couch sometime. I said I would be glad to when I wasn’t so busy. He was fine with that, but as I walked out the driveway, a neighbor came up to me and said, “With all that he’s has done for you, I can’t believe you didn’t jump at the chance to help him. I’m ashamed of you. I wish I still had my Dad alive to help now.”

It’s that time of year when people are returning to school. The word conjures up all kinds of emotions and
memories...tests, end of summer, anxiety, teachers, childhood....When our daughter was young we would
sometimes meet with her teacher. They would sit us down in little desks made for children, and they would sit in the “teacher’s chair.”