Lent

     The word, Lent, comes from an Old English word, lencten, which simply means spring.  Historically, Lent was a somber time, penitence and grief being emotional hallmarks.  For this reason, purple is the traditional color for church altars.  While people speak of 40 days of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter is actually 46 days long.  The reason is because Sundays are not included in the count.  Lent is a somber time to focus upon the cross.  But Sundays have always had a celebratory nature--Christians never forgot that on the first day of the week, Jesus rose from death and lives eternally.  Every Sunday is, in a sense, an Easter. 
     Lent is a time of preparation.  In computer terms, we get a chance to check old files and try to clean them up.  We can hunt down viruses disrupting our functions.  We can explore aspects of our operating system that make our lives easier.  We don't have an undo button for our lives, but we can examine, offer the negatives up to God, and ask for help to start afresh (and God always speaks our language, is always available, and the number is local). 
     Blessings to you all.