So what does Lent have to do with recycling?
Or Recycling with Lent?
Hear this tale and reconsider your preconceived notions of what they are both about.
There was a simple cross-stitch message hanging on a wall at Grandma’s house.
It was faded and had few colors but it was a treasure. The threads were from worn out sweaters from what seemed to be some ancient era.
The timeless message spoke of simpler days.
Use it up - Wear it out - Make it do - Or do without.
When sleeves or slacks needed to be shortened, the thread from the old hem was neatly wrapped on a cardboard strip, like an old matchbook cover, to be used again to make the new hem.
We kept a rag bag hanging in the hall and never used paper towels. I don't even know if they existed then. The braided rugs on our hardwood floors today were made by Grandma. Some of them have woolen strips from skirts I knew my mother wore. Grandma used the worn out woolen robes or slacks to braid them and make them strong enough again to be put back into useful service as floor coverings to keep the cold out.
We wasted less. We used and reused more. I grew up with hand tailored hand-me-downs. This has made me more appreciative of the things I have today.
This mindset keeps me closer to Earth and mindful of the blessings in my life.
Reflecting on how I re-use instead of dispose is a Lenten meditation. My life has been re-made and re-cycled many times. Others have sacrificed to make my life easier. I have sacrificed for others too. I am grateful for all of this.
As we move quietly towards Good Friday and the recollection of all that the Life and Death and Resurrection of Jesus means to each of us, I see an image of the bigger picture. Recycling is simply following the basic laws of the conservation of matter... everything is becoming something else. I see the Life-Death-Life cycle as a part of nature and recognize yet another facet of Lent.
