According to the calendar (maybe not so much Mother Nature), SPRING HAS SPRUNG!  For a lot of people, that heralds in the tradition and ritual of "Spring Cleaning."  Typically when we hear this term, we think of scrub brushes, mops, dust bunnies, and that lovely bleach smell that means we have aired out the house from the winter and we can face the rest of the year knowing we have made our living quarters pristine.

However, for me, Spring Cleaning is a great deal more than this.  I invite you to see this time of cleaning as expunging the old habits, the old "tape loops" inside your head (your personal room) that might be holding you back from taking the next steps in your journey in this body.  Are there default habits and responses that are no longer working for you?  Say "Thank You" to them (for they worked for you in the past) and then clean them out with some "virtual scrub brushes" - whatever that means for you ... if that means meditating on them, praying, rituals to clean the inner heart and sanctuary that is your body...

Spring Cleaning doesn't just mean the physical surroundings... we must also cleanse ourselves - our minds, bodies, souls and spirits - so that we can move forward on the path we were destined to trod.

What cleansing rituals will you be doing this spring?

Have you ever had a challenging time in your life?  Have you ever wondered if anything would go right?  I am betting you have.  And I am betting that a small random act of kindness gave you pause, caused you great joy, or even went so far as to completely pull you out of the doldrums.  One of those random acts of kindness happened to me last night.

My best friend and "brother", Matt, moved across the country around this time last year.  His move to L.A. caused me to cry and wonder how I was going to be able to keep in touch with my sounding board, my partner-in-crime, my brother... We have both had our share of challenges (him in moving and learning a whole new way of life; me in starting the LLC, performing weddings, and the day-to-day challenges of ministry).  We have been Skyping every month without fail.  And we were able to reconnect when he was in New York City for the holiday season.  But it just isn't the same - as I am sure you have all experienced.

Then February 2014 hit... many challenges and "bad days" for both of us (him: a break-up, needing to move to another apartment, losing his job and having to look for another.  Me: my car getting into an accident, job challenges, no weddings to speak of, illness)... needless to say, it was a struggle for both of us, without someone right there to hug.

Last night, when I came home from work and my first performance of a show, I found this box from Matt at my door.  A welcome surprise as my first thought was "I didn't order anything."  The card read as follows:

Dear Sis:  All the best to you and Kit.  I know that 2014 has had its ups and downs so far, but as you always tell me: deep breath, listen and all will open up to you.  I love you and am always here.  Happy Katie Fisher Day!  (Albeit a few days late)
Your Second Biggest Fan (behind Kit) - Matt

All I could do was cry.  Random box of beautiful hand-made chocolate whoopie pies from a bakery in Brooklyn (One Girl Cookies) was here, simply to make me smile and make me happy.  To pull me out of my doldrums.  A random act of kindness from 3,000 miles away.

But what was "Katie Fisher Day"?  Looking it up on my favorite reference tool (Google, of course)... I came up with this website.  Katie Fisher was a young lady who, at the age of 24, in 2010 tragically perished in a car accident.  She used to bake cookies for her brother every week for all 4 years that he was in college.  And so, as a memorial to Katie, every year on her birthday (March 12th), they celebrate Katie Fisher Day with the following directions:

So what random acts of kindness can you do for someone you haven't seen in a long time?  Or that person behind you at the coffee shop?  Or a friend who you know is challenged in life?  Someone who is homeless?  Someone who needs a friend, or a hug, or a reminder that everything is o.k.?

We can all perform random acts of kindness.  Let's spread the love like my brother and Katie Fisher did...

Today marks the beginning of one of the most sacred times in the Christian and Catholic faiths - Ash Wednesday, originally called dies cinerum (day of ashes) marking the start of the 46 day period of Lent.  It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which, according to tradition, prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which, it is believed we attain redemption.

The tradition of placing ashes on one's head, it is believed, hearkens back to the 8th Century.  The earliest description of Ash Wednesday is found in the writings of the Anglo-Saxon abbot, Aelfric - in his The Lives of the Saints, he writes , "We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast."

The rite of ashes on Ash Wednesday are recommended to the Christian as an opportunity for repentance and spiritual renewal within the framework of confession and absolution.

That being said, most people think that, for the next 46 days, it is all about "giving something up"... something like candy, coffee, chocolate... something that can be boasted about, something that we can be proud of having "removed" from our lives, without really understanding the purpose of the Lenten promises and Fast.

Why give something up for Lent?  My friend and colleague, Rev. Allyson Szabo at Patchwork Interfaith Ministries put it the best...

Why give something up for 46 days? There are lots of reasons. First and foremost, because it's spring, and spring cleaning should always begin with the soul. By giving up some luxury item (or adding some new task to your day, such as daily exercise!), you are taking the time to remind yourself that you are a spiritual being. Second, it reminds us just how privileged we are in our country. We have so very much that often, deciding WHAT to give up can take almost as long as the giving-up. Third, that slight prick you feel when you realize, "Oh, can't have that... it's Lent," that's a wonderful reminder to say thanks to whatever Divine agency you pray to. Thanks for life, thanks for all the things you normally have, thanks for having so much that you can give something up and not suffer unduly.