From Leaves to Lent



For those who appreciate the difference, I was raised in an evangelical rather than a liturgical church. A family trip to New York City provided my first entrance into a liturgical setting--St. Patricks Cathedral. I sat and kneeled (and sat and kneeled and...) next to my great aunt and quietly thought, WOW!
Actress, Sally Fields further sparked my interest in 'high church' while I enjoyed my favorite weekly show, The Flying Nun. How much fun was that? A tiny nun in an aerodynamic habit who could fly! Fortunately, I didn't break my arm trying.
Everything I knew about Catholicism I learned from watching The Flying Nun and The Sound of Music. Later in life when I attended a liturgical service, I still knew very little--"you know, the guy in the little cap," or "the guy in the really tall hat." What I now know, I credit Bishop Epps, who frequently explains the meaning and use of many signs and symbols.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. If you attend a liturgical service, you will receive a sign of the cross on your forehead. The silky ashes are made from palms leaves that were used to celebrate the previous year's Palm Sunday.
As a gardener, I love knowing this.
[Carolyn Fjeran, LowTide explorer/reflective writer; horticulturist & gardener; former writer for Cooperative Extension Service, Master Gardeners, and The Newnan Times-Herald]
View: Sibley Center, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain Georgia

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