February 4, 2026

It was a tragedy when the singer-songwriter Harry Chapin died in a car accident in 1981. Chapin remains one of my favorite recording artists. From “Cats in the Cradle” to “Taxi” to “30,000 Pounds of Bananas,” his songs have sustained me in the midst of my life’s trials and tribulations. “A Better Place to Be” brings tears to my eyes every time I call it up to play from my digital playlist.

In his song “All My Life’s a Circle,” Chapin sings, “All my life’s a circle / But I can’t tell you why / The seasons spinning round again / The years keep rolling by.” Here comes February again, my birth month. February is my least favorite month for many reasons. Maybe it’s because I turn another year older. Maybe because winter usually continues to linger. More likely, it is because of life’s traumas during February that my body remembers. I’ve learned to live with it.

There are bright spots in the month. My birthday, where I typically have my choice of dining location to celebrate, is one. And, more often than not, my favorite season of the church year, Lent, begins. (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, can be as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.) This year, we hold our Ash Wednesday service on February 18.

I invite you to join me in an intentional act to mark the Lent season. In my morning devotionals, I plan to once again read the book of Psalms (3 psalms a day). Like last year, I plan on posting a reading from the psalms each day to Hazelwood’s Facebook page. You can use those posts as readings for your own daily Lenten practice. Use this 46-day period to practice something that turns you to God, opens you to God’s presence, and creates in you a sense that you yourself are a participant in the divine nature.

Rev. Eric