THOUGHTS ON ASH WEDNESDAY – 2-25-04

I can recall,
when I was small
And winter locked us in his vise,,,,
That Dad would take,
then sift and shake
Coal ashes on the slippery ice.

Times were so tough,
few had enough
To buy the things with which to cope,
So Mom would take
wood ash to make
Her big soft bars of laundry soap.

And in the spring
my folks would fling
Wood ashes on the garden plot
To help, you know,
the plants to grow.
I think it must have helped a lot.

And so today,
on Ash Wednesday.
The ash reminds me that God’s love
Won’t let me fall,
and, best of all,
Can cleanse me for a life above.

--Helen J. Ewoldsen -- 2-25-04