February 12, 2013

The Beckoning of Lent: Note to Self

Dear Self,

I’ve been watching you lately and - I hope you don’t mind me being so frank - think it might be best if you take a little break. You know, kick your feet up, be free from “to-do” lists and remember why. And, if you’re feeling up to it, maybe you could follow the dry wind to where the concrete turns to grass, and then beyond that to the sand, to the desert. But only for a short while.

The desert gets me everytime. I always get thirsty. But that’s why we go, right? To discover, again for the first time, that we’re thirsty. And oh, how painful the thirst really is - well, when we rid ourselves of those other drinks. Those other liquids don’t quench diddly. Gosh, we forget don’t we?

And though others might not hear from you and they’ll be waiting. Let it be. The desert is important, but like I said, only for a bit, not forever. Deserts are only as good to the degree that one returns. So go, go on! And remember. Remember why it is we thirst, and all the pain involved. Remember who you are and why you’re here. Shut everything down and seek the sand. Remember the story we both know so well, when he goes and feels the pain and hears his words and triumphs and returns.

He returned and you will too.