Cold, gray, and damp describe this morning; colder, severe winds are forecast to describe this evening. Yup, it’s February!

Thick February mists cling heavily
To the dead earth and to each leafless tree,
And closer down upon the hilltops draw,
Dull forecasts there of bright, sure-coming spring;
Yet the heart gathers hope and strange delight
From this dear, unlovely, wished-for sight
Of leaden-misted twilights lengthening.
~Emma Lazarus, “Expectation,” c.1872

The good news is twilight is lengthening, no matter how gray this day is! And the Lenten roses I transplanted from pot to the ground survived! On this gray, grim morning the delicate hues cheer me greatly.

And is if by serendipity the quote of the day at quotegarden.com

Shadow, said Augustine, is the Queen of Colour. Colour sings in the grey. ~Derek Jarman

That quote captured the joy I felt seeing soft shades of pink and green and cream of my Lenten rose.

God keep me singing – gray-headed cutie than I am. And you too, gentle reader; especially if darkness and sorrow overwhelm your path. In Christ, we may exchange our ashes, our mourning for a crown of beauty. Open our eyes to see, and our hearts to embrace, and make us the builders the Lord intends us to be!  May we exchange our ashes for something way better! (Isaiah 61:1-4)

Today is Ash Wednesday – marking the beginning of Lent, a good time to reflect upon Christ’s Sacrifice for us. Easter Sunday’s comin’! (I Learned to Celebrate Easter, When I realized DEATH was in my Carriage!)

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name!

We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and privacy, and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship. ~C.S. Lewis