out of place

At Bible study last night, several people asked me to blog more crazy stories about school. I tried to do it when I got home, but nothing came to me. Either people have calmed down or I'm just tuning them out. The thing that bothers me the most right now is that I seem to be the only one out of 10,000 students who will not vote for Obama or Clinton in the general election. Seriously, I have yet to meet or even overhear one other person who will vote even semi-conservatively. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when issues come up in class, but knowing that I have not one person to back me up and knowing that my opinions will do nothing to change the situation, I have to stay quiet.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so naturally, everyone but Beth and me came to school with ashes all over their foreheads. Of course, I looked like the unpious, sacrilegious, going-straight-to-hell girl because of my ashless face. Even my professors left class for 30 minutes each to get ashed...or whatever you call it. More than a few people asked me if I was leaving class anytime to soon to go to the nearest St. Something. When I politely replied that I was not going, some girl with a cigarette (standing next to the sign that says "Smoke Free Campus!") and an obsene tshirt explained the importance of the ashes and how if I didn't follow the diet and get ashed, I couldn't know for sure where I would go when I die. I said something about not needing ashes to give my soul peace and I absolutely knew where I would be when I die. She looked at me with a very confused face and said, "But....you don't have the f-ing ashes..." I'm not sure she understood.

Actually, it was sad to have a visual reminder of just how many people don't understand. The poor girls can say and do whatever they want, but as long as they get their ashes and get an HIV test every year, they're safe. (This is literally what one of the girls in A&P said.) I walked around staring at ashen heads all day and was overcome with joy and thankfulness that my eyes have been opened to the Truth of the Gospel and that I don't need a priest from St. Something to assure me of my salvation. Christ is THE priest and has made our salvation sure. Beth's and my clean foreheads served as a visual reminder, at least for us, that we do indeed walk the narrow path.