Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Valentine's Day is great...
But it's ashes for you.
I see what they did there...
Leave it to my dad to send the years that Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day have overlapped and will overlap - in case you were wondering, the last time it happened was 1945, but it happened before that in both 1923 and 1934. Apparently it will happen again in 2024 and 2029. (I didn't double check if he was right on these - just trusting...)
I must say, though, I was highly confused driving down my block today and seeing a line practically out the door at Stan's Donuts - I couldn't figure out why so many people would want donuts on a day traditionally set aside for fasting... And then I remembered it was also Valentine's Day. Well, that made perfect sense!
At school we actually celebrated Valentine's Day a day early on Fat Tuesday so as not to lose focus on the three pillars of Lent. (It was highly suggested from the Archdiocese.) I didn't get too many treats - just enough chocolate - though, one student did bring a homemade paczki!
One of my favorite student valentines was one a 6th grader made into a scratch-off:
One of my advisory students was a day late (by our calendar) and brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers today - it was such a delightful start to the morning before Mass:
I also got a cute note on a student's assessment this afternoon:
It was a beautiful (early) Valentine's Day, to be sure. The kids are so funny about it - one student asked if I had a special valentine this year, to which I replied, "Jesus." Well, let me tell you, that made his day!
But, when it was time to go to Mass, our focus shifted...
And you can bet money on the fact that I wore purple...
Our visiting priest continued his homily (which he had started with that poem - yes, I'm back to talking about that all the way down here...). He explained that the Catholic church has nothing against Valentine's Day; it is just that the solemn start of the Lenten season takes precedence. He then encouraged us that no matter how we choose to fast, pray, or do extra things this Lent, that we do so with sincere hearts in an effort to draw closer to God.
His message was just what I needed to hear, and I hope the kiddos were listening too! It reinforces a piece of wisdom I shared with them the other day that was once told to me: If you find yourself at the end of Lent the same as when you started, you've done Lent wrong.
God wants us - He wants our whole heart. So, how will we use this Lenten season to make more room for God in order to allow Him to draw us closer?
We have 40 days to make it happen - our time starts now.
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