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Ashes To Ashes

What I know for sure is that God is everywhere. He is in the moments you are to busy, the times you are being self absorbed, and in all the moments you forget to call on Him. He exists in every nook and cranny of our existence.

Our personal relationship to God, or lack of one, is our own sacred path. It should not be judged by others. Nor should we be divided by religions using words like “us” and “them”. In my opinion we are all one, with the right to choose how we should worship our God. I truly believe a person finding and praying in his backyard can be as holy and as connected as someone attending mass weekly.

As humans we function well in structure and tradition. It isn’t surprising many in the community frowned upon Ash Wednesdays “Ashes To Go” at our local coffee house. It is hard for some to think out of the box when it comes to God. Many are used to such definition and tradition, that often those that aren’t -are forgotten. The strides that the First Congregational Church of Bethel and St Thomas Episcopal Church took day, in my opinion, were grounding breaking.

For every person that walked up to Molten Java was asked if they would like ashes in a loving manner. They were not asked if they were Christian. They were not asked what they did and did not believe. They were not preached to in any form or manner. They were offered regardless just for being a child of God.

The purpose, as stated in a handout provided: “We’re offering ashes outdoors today as a reminder of need, humility, and healing shouldn’t be confined to a church building. We probably need it more when we are in the middle of our daily business! Throughout today, the ashes we receive here remind us of our need for God, and of God’s call to us”.

A reminder that we are all loved by God everywhere we go in everything we do.

When I went, they also offered up a prayer if I needed one. We prayed openly and aloud in the front of the coffee-house for a little boy who is fighting for his life at St Jude’s Hospital. We prayed for our community and the healing it is in need of. They also offered blessings for my children. A beautiful few minutes of feeling God’s abundance of love on the streets of the town I live in and love. Ending with a perfect latte. Which may sound odd to some since it wasn’t mass, but it was my mass. It fit me just right. The message that God is with me even when I am drinking my latte. The message to me being I am right where I am supposed to be.

I personally would like to thank both churches for thinking of those like me, that often worship God in other ways and in other places. It has reminded me to reflect more, and remember Him in my everyday life.

On the heels of the two month anniversary of Sandy Hook tragedy, this reminder of love is one preserved and well received. Our community continues to feel the pain. The answers of why will never make sense to us in this life time, and we are forced to carry on. It is in Gods love–and on in His–that we will be able to try to do this. As our lives our forever changed– as the Sandy Hook Promise states: “Our hearts our broken but our spirits aren’t”. Today’s small gesture of ashes on the street made me feel part of something bigger then just the confines of a church. For this, I am forever grateful.

May God bless each of you reading this today and always.

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