Last night, we started our Lenten journey by observing Ash Wednesday. We joined together to come face-to-face with our sinful nature, to repent of our sin, and receive the grace, love, and mercy that comes from Jesus.

At the end of the service, people came forward to dispose of their sin (we wrote down things that separate us from God on small cards and threw them in a large trash can) and receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads.

After the service was over, I was gathering my things and Emily and Sammie came down the aisle. Sammie asked if she could get a cross too. My answer was, “of course!”

I got the ashes, gave a two-year-old interpretation of what it mean, and made the sign of the cross on her forehead. She was very serious about the whole thing. Then, she wanted her mom to show her what it looked like in the mirror.

When we got home, Emily and Sammie went into the bathroom to get cleaned up for bedtime. Sammie came out with a washcloth so I could wipe my cross off. I asked her if I had wiped it all off and she said, “Well, I guess that’s the best you can do.”

It was a great night!