Well, the "Thin Mint" Girl Scout cookies providentially showed up last night - on Mardi Gras. I've never been very good at "giving up" something for Lent - particularly when it involves chocolate. So I won't even pretend that I won't eat my favorite cookies in the whole world during the next 6 weeks. But it does remind me that God has a sense of humor ....

In the meantime, here it is once again - Ash Wednesday - and we begin our journey through Lent.

This morning in the Mission Yearbook of Prayer (http://www.pcusa.org/missionyearbook/) the Rev. Jeffrey Lawrence said: "Today we begin the holy season of Lent, a time of self-examination, a time when Christians are challenged to make changes in their lives as they remember the passion of Jesus Christ. The heart and soul of Lent is to admit our failings humbly, to seek God’s forgiveness, and to make a fresh start. We have a choice. We can go on with life as usual, continuing in our unhelpful patterns and believing the lie that there’s not a thing we can do about our weaknesses and shortcomings .... Or we can, with God’s help, make a fresh start. The ashes we receive today are a stark reminder that we will someday die and return to dust. They remind us that we have a limited time in which to act — to make a choice about how we want to live. So, day by day in this Lenten season, rely on God for assistance, and with a loving and peaceful heart, honor your commitment to change as you await the coming of Easter. "

So I begin my Lenten journey asking myself what I will change this season as I wait for Easter? What is it you want to change?

Let the journey begin.