Ash Wednesday

My Starbucks is near the catholic church.

There was this person that showed up there to day with what was looking like hair covering their spots on their forehead. I thought to myself, its seems like an easy solution.. go see the dermatologist and have them remove this black on their forehead. It shouldn't be too hard. Then a man came in with a suit that had a little more pronounced soot stain upon his forehead.

Then it hit me. Yep, its Ash Wednesday.

Its the first day of lent.. 42 days before Easter.

My handy wiki said that this is a symbol on the forehead of an ashed cross is representative of the days that Jesus fasted before Easter. Its supposed to be made from the ashes of the the palm leaves from the palm Sunday of the year before.

To me this day is of particular interest. I was called into the office of the first teaching job I had in Colorado and basically dismissed. They gave me two weeks to clear out of town. It happened on Ash Wednesday.

In retrospect it was  the best thing that happened. At the time I felt that I was persecuted and worthless. 

We relocated to Turlock CA. I began graduate school under an instate status and thus began the 39 year adventure I had with Speech Therapy. Heather my first daughter was born and we endured a recession without jobs and a meet and gasoline shortage. I think that I my success to the support that my family provided me for another chance.

The change started on Ash Wednesday,1973.