Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, which leads up to Easter on March 31. It’s a holy time which allows for introspection, self-evaluation and remembering the humble Easter story and how it pertains to our individual lives.

As a child, Easter was also special to me. Aside from the Easter Bunny’s treats, the new white shoes, gloves, dress and hat I wore to our Easter service at church was a big deal. Even as a little girl, I knew it was a holy day.

Fast forward a few years, and I was infatuated with many of my junior high friends who were Catholic and came to school with a smudged thumb print of an ashen cross on their foreheads and chatted easily about what they were reluctantly giving up for Lent.