The Desert

Thaddeus and I have been traveling this past week in the desert.  My skin has been very dry from months of winter forced-air heat.   This climate has been aggravating this dryness all the more.  it seems that I can't drink enough water or put on enough chap stick or use enough lotion to combat the aridity of this harsh climate.  Everything is dusty and a fine tan mist covers everything.  This further irritates my skin as I feel like I need to constantly wash my hands after touching anything.  It can make life miserable.

Gloria, my trusty stallion which has happily endured nearly 3,000 miles on this trip, but, the miles are taking their toll.  We tried to turn the A/C on last night while driving in the early evening sun.  The switch to "Max A/C" encouraged the van to blow air harder, but not colder.  The temperature outside was 90 degrees and inside the van, relief only came from rolling down the windows.  

We stopped at a rest area to refill our water and find a bit of relief from the weariness that the road dutifully provides.  I was once again taken by the vast expanse of God's creation - a sandy landscape peppered with various shrubs and huge Saguaro Cacti.  

It was in this moment that the spiritual connection really hit me.  Lent is not supposed to be a time of comfort, but rather one of inhospitable endurance.  In the desert, this symbolism becomes all the more real.  It is these times of dryness that make the times of plenty all the more bountiful.  It is through the fasting that we prepare for the feast.