40 days of Preperation

 Today is Ash Wednesday and as you can see the kids we have already attended mass and gotten our ashes. The marking of ashes on our foreheads helps us remember that we are only on this world for a short time and that we need to prepare ourselves and live our lives in a way that will help us get to heaven. We have all came from ashes and to ashes some day we will all return. I truly enjoy Ash Wednesday and all the symbolism it holds.
   Another reason for celebrating Ash Wednesday is that it marks the first day of Lent. Lent is 40 days where we prepare ourselves for Jesus rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. It is a time of self reflection and correction. These 40 days are to serve as an annual house cleaning of our souls.  We should all aim to be a clean and perfect as we can in thanksgiving for the amazing gift Jesus gave us by concurring death and opening the way to eternal life. The Easter season is my favorite time of year for a number of reasons and I hope I can make this Lenten season we are now entering a very powerful and meaningful one for myself and my family.
     Reflecting on what the next 40 days of Lent will hold for me I also started thinking about the changes that I will see on the farm in these days leading up to Easter. Looking back at what happened last year at this time has gotten me very excited. It is making real the spring fever that I have been starting to feel and getting me excited for all the new life that is just around the corner.

   First off calving season is just around the corner. The calving barn has been prepared and cow TV is up and going . During the next 40 days most of our 140 cows we will have their baby for the year. I pray that it all goes smoothly very few complications or deaths. Here is a post I did during calving season last year about one of my daughter Mary's favorite cows, Sad News.

    This time of year is also when the piglets are born that the kids will be showing this next summer at the fair. It is amazing how fast these little guys grow. Here is the post I did when we visited my brother in laws pig farm, Visiting a Pig Farm.

      The next 40 days will also bring warmer weather which I am very excited about. Today there was a high of  3 degrees with a wicked wind chill that just cuts through you. I look at these pictures of  the kids playing in the mud and can't wait for these days to come, but I also know that when I am dealing with mud coated cloths and kids I may be singing a different tune. Here is a post I did on a beautiful day we had at the end of March, A Beautiful Busy Day.

      I was also excited to see that last year I was hanging cloths on the line during lent time. It is a little extra work but I have always enjoyed hanging cloths on the line and letting the fresh air dry them. What I wouldn't give to be out in the sun right now hanging cloths on the line and later bringing inside the fresh smells of spring. Here is a post on Spring Cleaning.

    After taking this trip though my past posts I am getting very excited and ready to dive into this Lenten season and prepare my heart, home, and farm for all the beautiful gifts and joys that are awaiting us throughout and at the end of the next 40 days. Here is one more post with many cute kids and calves, 30 and Counting. Bring on the new life and warm weather and may you have a blessed Ash Wednesday and Lenten Season.