Ash Wednesday

Lent begins by being marked with dust or ashes, reminding us that we are made from earth, hence linked with each other and all living things across eons. This graced ritual is an imperative – that we bear witness to the God who does wonders within the stuff of which we are made.

Thank you for these tiny
particles of ocean salt,
pearl-necklace viruses,
winged protozoans:
for the infinite,
intricate shapes
of submicroscopic
living things.

extract from Dusting  by Marilyn Nelson