A good friend reminded me that today is a rare combination when Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day. The last time this happened, Allied forces were dropping literal bombs over Germany during World War II. And while there are wars raging all over the world as I type this, San Diego, California is relatively at peace.

This combo has me thinking about the rhythms of our lives – the times of feast and the times of famine. The days when we purposefully abstain from good things in order to hold out for better things. The times we allow ourselves permission to open our hearts just a little bit more to that person, or group, or God. And while they might seem in opposition, I think they are intricately connected in ways we don’t even know.

We can’t experience true feast if we have never experienced famine. We can’t fully appreciate the way friendship makes our heart leap if we have never felt the crushing weight of loneliness. Fasting from everyday comforts would hold no significance if we didn’t have those comforts in the first place.

So on this rare Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day, I have a heightened awareness of just how lucky I was. To live in a time and place where I can choose to fast from food or alcohol or TV or chocolate in order to be reminded of a death and coming back to life that changed history. A day where I can kick off dying a little to myself so that I can experience just a sliver of a future glory. A day when I am hyper aware of the fact that I experience belonging – a rare and precious gift. Here’s to the feast and to the famine. May you experience the upsides of both in powerful ways today.

[photo source: Elle Decor]