Lent begins

As the purple of lent has once again come to us, let us remember to pause, to stop, and remember the gifts of God that come to us each day, each moment. The gifts that are all around us. The freshly fallen snow clinging to branches, the bright blue morning sky, the voice of a friend, the smile of a stranger. Lent is an invitation - a gift - to us to stop, to slow down, to breath deeper, to listen and look for signs of God's beauty and grace that is all around.