Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A blessed Ash Wednesday...

Today, I'm feeling a lot better than I have in a while, and just in time for the beginning of Lent. This morning, I got up like usual, and rushed around, also like usual. Mike was taking Hank to school today, so I had plenty of flexibility to make the 8 am Mass at our parish. As I was putting my coat on to leave, I thought about my Lenten headcovering project. My headcoverings from Garlands of Grace still have not arrived, but I thought that maybe in the mean time I should still make an effort. I sorted through the hat shelf and came up with an old black cloche that I thought would do the trick. I popped it on and headed out.

It's a beautiful winter morning here in Western New York. I had to park a few blocks from the church (since I didn't have any quarters to put in the meters) and we're getting a pretty, fluffy white snowfall. I got in and found the church fairly sparsely populated. I think the noon and evening ash distribution times are more popular than the 8 am. I settled in and left my hat on. Naturally, I spied on everybody else and found a handful of other female hat wearers. This soothed me.

Mass began, and I enjoyed the peace of being by myself :) I love bringing Henry to Mass, but it does make for a more 'boisterous' Mass experience. I will say that I did feel more focused this morning; I felt more able to articulate my prayers.

I had a quandry when it was time to process up for ashes. Hat on or off? Since it's a cloche, the hat came down over my forehead a bit, so in the end, I did decide to take it off so that Fr. Jay could access my forehead easier. I put it back on when I got back to my pew, and it was fine for the remainder of Mass.

So, overall, my first headcovering experience went without a hitch. I do think hats are less conspicuous, especially here in the winter, but I really don't anticipate a problem. I'm more interested in seeing if there are any changes within *me* as a result of headcovering. We shall see :)

After Mass concluded I came in to work. I'm thinking of picking us up some fish for dinner, and I'm looking forward to my evening with my boys. Hank and I have gotten away from saying our decade of the rosary together before bed, so I'll try to reinstitute that tonight. He loves his little Bible, and that's a fairly regular nighttime ritual, but I'd like to pray more with him overall.

After Hank goes to bed, I have lots of crocheting to do. I have to say, now that I'm at least somewhat proficient in knitting as well as crocheting, I do prefer to crochet. I also enjoy knitting, and I'm so glad that I learned, but crochet is my first craft love :) I'm finished up a pair of slipper socks for my mother-in-law and then I'm embarking on a number of baby gifts. I also have a few afghan projects for our house, including a beautiful spring blanket that I'm really excited about, waiting in the wings. Life is good :)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for commenting! I read and appreciate every single one, and I will respond to each one personally!