Today marks the first day of Lent. As I walked to the front of the sanctuary to receive the imposition of ashes, the pastor marked my head with the standard "from dust you came, to dust you will return" and ended by saying, "God bless you."
Facebook friends who note the liturgical year have various ideas about Lent and how to observe it. Even some of my coworkers discussed some planned (and some makeshift) Lenten vows today. As I sat in church and received the ashes, I realized the spirit of Lent has guided the biggest decisions of my life.
At the heart of Lent lies the basic understanding that we begin and we end. In that beginning and until that ending, we are human with all the joy and heartache living entails - and imperfection marks each day of it. Lent invites us to sit with our humanity and then decide what we wish to do next.
Most people wonder how I moved from chaplain to physician or why I might "give up" a perfectly good career to spend 12 years preparing for another one. The Lenten spirit made me do it.
The short version is I had a breast cancer scare with concomitant breast oncology visits to monitor the area in question for 2 years and a family history placing me in a high risk category. I happened to have worked in hospice chaplaincy close to 4 years when I initially received the ominous "you need a biopsy" call. I faced my ending, and because hospice chaplaincy filled my days, I asked the question, "What haven't I done? What goal waits for completion? What will I regret not doing if this is my end?" The answer? Being a physician - or a least trying to be a physician.
And this is Lent's spirit, its mission - if it has such a thing: To remind us we all have an end and to ask us what it is we want to do before we meet that end.
Whether you observe Lent or not, the practice of endings may help you decide your next steps or re-route your life.
