Ash Wednesday

I saw this on Facebook yesterday:

Oh look!  There's a yoga pose named for me!  This is pretty much what is going on in my head ALL of the time, except more.  Here is a (by no means exhaustive) list of things I worry about these days:

• Is God completely disappointed in me?
• Is my family completely disappointed in me?
• Is everyone completely disappointed in me?
• Am I failing my friends?
• I'm sad, angry, and resentful over what feels like certain friends failing me.
• I don't know enough of what is going on in the world.
• When I do know what is going on in the world it just makes me depressed and even more worried.
• My spiritual, mental, physical health.
• The hubby's health.
• My level of patience with the hubby's health.
• The puppies' health.
• Money.
• The house sale.
• Something happening to make the house not sell.
• My own klutziness/ineptness causing the house to spontaneously combust and or fall down around our ears thereby causing the sale to fall through.
• Body image issues.
• The nieces' body images.
• ALL girls' body images.
• My purpose in life.
• Will I ever be content?

Enough.  You get the idea.  The inside of my brain is a chaotic and swirly place full of voices (most of them depression-fueled) that just will not shut the hell up.

So.  Ash Wednesday.  I have decided that my spiritual discipline this year is to try to combat those voices.  I might need your help for this.  I need to think of the positives in my life.  The happies.  I'm going to use the blog, write every day, and list 3 things for which I am grateful, or that make me happy, or that at least don't suck the joy and life out of me.  Please help hold me accountable on this. Thank you in advance.  Let's look at shoes.

Black shoes always seem appropriate to me for Ash Wednesday.  Last year's post was all black shoes. I'm not sure what sparkly, bedazzled crosses are appropriate for.

These seem disjointed to me.  Am I missing a theme?

Wow.  Zebra stripes, bedazzled cross, AND a crown of thorns.  Again, the animal print fits into the theme how?

 

Subtle.  If I were still in the parish I would wear these and see who noticed.

These are cross trainers.  Yes, the very ugly shoes have an incredibly bad pun to go with them.  There are also giant crosses on the tongues.

Slightly random side note:  Ash Wednesday is one of the few days when I seem to post consistently.  I already referenced last year's post, but here are links to 2013 and 2014 as well in case you want a trip down Ash Wednesday memory lane.

Here are my 3 things:

1. I am dust and to dust I shall return.  I know, this doesn't sound positive at first, but it is a reminder that nothing, outside of the promises of God, lasts forever.  The promises of God DO last forever, and I am a Child of God.
2. My mom, who answers the phone and talks to me no matter how random the reason I called.
3. Snuggle puppies.