Lent, Loss, and the Coming of Spring
On the first day of Greek Orthodox Lent, halfway through the Lent that most of the Christian world observes, I woke early to drive my eldest daughter back to the town, 1 1/2 hours away, where she currently lives. We left before dawn, and I felt happy: we are both morning people, and I was anticipating a good, deep conversation to end her visit home, followed by 1.5 hours to myself to sing or shout or talk to the Great Love or listen to a podcast or my favorite tunes. Getting 1.5 hours to myself is unheard of in this phase in my life; I couldn't wait. Instead, 15 minutes into the drive, the wind kicked up, and small, then large, balls of icy snow began to crash relentlessly into the windshield, splattering like paint. The roads turned icy, and I began to slide across the center line. I slowed down. My daughter, oblivious, told a joke. When I said I would need to concentrate, she could tell by my voice that she needed to check out to preserve her own sanity: she fell immediate...