alive

sackcloth is scratchy. no wonder it was a sign of repentence. and ashes are messy. i have spring fever and i'll admit i'd much rather be all about the daffodils, crocuses, birds that are singing not to mention the frog and owl song. (is the world just not simply coming alive!?) that liturgical calendar i mentioned? honestly, with all due respect, i don't like the picture for this time of year and was tempted to flip it early. it's all desert which is not one of my favorite things. but each morning when i look at it, i try to find something beautiful about the scape. so far, i'm into the blue sky and clouds in the background. ask me about the sticks and rocks later, i'll get there. but for today i'm going on a beauty walk to feel unabashedly alive along with the great outdoors. beauty is God-grounding to me and maybe more lenten than we give it credit for. the fact that it falls at this time of year a mere coincidence? i think not.