Remember, that thou art dust....

Ashes
By Tom Conry

We rise again from ashes,
from the good we’ve failed to do.
We rise again from ashes,
to create ourselves anew.
If all our world is ashes,
then must our lives be true,
an offering of ashes,
an offering to you.

We offer you our failures,
we offer you attempts.
The gifts not fully given,
the dreams not fully dreamt.
Give our stumblings direction,
give our visions wider view,
an offering of ashes,
an offering to you.

Then rise again from ashes,
let healing come to pain,
though spring has turned to winter,
and sunshine turned to rain.
The rain we’ll use for growing
and create the world anew,
from an offering of ashes,
an offering to you.

We sang this song at Ash Wednesday services tonight. It seemed especially poignant and fitting in light of the death and destruction caused by the storms last night. I felt so sad this morning, looking at all the reports on the news. When it happens so close by and I realize that it could just as well been our house or our town or the lives of our friends and family, it really brings the horror home. The storms that came through our area were very strong, but no tornados. There was damage in our county with some barns destroyed, the roof blown off one of the popular drive-in restaurants in town, many limbs down and various other damage to homes and property, but nothing like the destruction elsewhere in the state and neighboring states. This was truly one for the record books. Let us keep all the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers.

On a little lighter note, Sarah had called me after one of the earlier storms came through and said they had tornado warnings out for the area around her house. The news alert came on for everyone to take immediate cover. Sarah went to open her front door to step out and see what it looked like. After quickly looking at the sky to see if she was in immediate danger, she looked up and down the street. Every house on her street had someone standing out in the yard or at their front door!! They could all hear the tornado sirens going off and could see the darkening sky, yet they all were standing outside with their necks craning upward to see what they could see. Sarah said she couldn’t help but laugh at how foolish she and her neighbors seemed to be, gawking at the sky in the face of danger, even as she gathered Max up and they headed to her interior bathroom. Luckily, the storm passed over them also.