5 years ago....

I remember that 5 years ago today,it was Ash Wednesday.It was quite the late winter early spring kind of day.Still brisk and chilly;yet the sun warmed things up especially in the car.I remember I had stayed home that day because my mom was quite ill and had been since that Sunday night.I remember I had made sure she was OK with what she needed by her bed. I had made a doctor's appointment for her that afternoon which I would take her to.I scooted off to church to get my ashes on my forehead.Because I go to a downtown parish and it was right at 12 noon,there was a huge line snaking its way out the door of the little 150 year old church building.I was a bit irritated at myself for not having gotten there any earlier.I was thankful that they had put speakers out on the sidewalk so we could at least hear what was going on inside.I remember a bike messenger stopping to stand in the line to receive his ashes too.Somewhere between my irritation and the footsteps of the people walking by the church,my mind became calm and peaceful.All of the sudden the people sharing the sidewalk with me were a part of a deeper community inside my heart.I remember getting an epiphany about a relationship I was struggling to understand.I was not so worried about my mom (maybe I should have been)and some how I knew spring would bring death and new life.