Because I'm Kind of an Idiot

So, today the girls and I went for a walk at the park and then decided to play a bit (pictures here). It's warm today but veryyyyyyyy windy. Anyways, I saw this nice old lady while we were walking and we exchanged hellos and she had a dark mark on her forehead--and I was sad because I was thinking that it was a shame to have such a noticeable birthmark on your face for your whole life... Later on we the old lady again (or so I thought) with the same dark mark just a new jacket on. Weird, maybe it was two old ladies with two weird marks? Huh! What are the odds...So then we finished walking and moved up to the park so that A could play and we saw a lady my age and her 1.5 year old boy--both with the same birthmark....



Hm....this is REALLY strange I thought....



About 20 minutes later it hit me--it's Ash Wednesday! DOUBLE DUH! Obviously I don't know many Catholics! Here's the story on Ash Wednesday--it's kind of interesting.



In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays). It falls on a different date each year, because it is dependent on the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
At Masses and services of worship on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads (or tonsure spots, in the case of some clergy) of the faithful. The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the shape of a cross, which the worshiper traditionally retains until washing it off after sundown. The act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one's head to signify repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister says one of the following when applying the ashes:


Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return. (Latin: Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.)
—Genesis 3:19