This was the meditation for Ash Wednesday. As soon as I read it, it spoke to me. I am a planner. Whether it’s my trek to work (today I had four bags plus my phone and keys) or vacation or retreat (enough clothes for a week even if it’s only a weekend) or Lent (you saw my list last week).

The most important thoughts to me are the last two questions:

What do I want to carry with me during the days ahead?

What prayer exercises or spiritual practices will accompany me?

As with all my excursions, I have a tote bag. Or three. I load myself up with what I *might* need even when, with experience, I know that I won’t need all of it, and I probably won’t need half of it. So, as I begin my Lenten journey, what do I want to carry with me for the next forty or so days?

What prayers and practices will I take with me? And which ones will I leave behind? What is working for this Lent that may not have worked last year? And on the opposite side of the coin, what worked last year that just doesn’t feel right this year?

The rest of this week is thinking time for me.

Meditating.

Contemplating.

Discerning.

I’ll come back next week and write about what I’ve discovered. In the meantime, if you’re observing Lent, what are you doing to make it meaningful for yourself?