In Circle of the Word at the jail (“Sacred Stories”), we are moving through the passion of Jesus according to Mark. Today’s story was “Peter’s Denial.” Eleven women came and most had some familiarity with this story. It’s a good story for Ash Wednesday.

When we started the Check-In round, I said I was feeling “reflective” because it is the first day of Lent. The “honor-the talking-piece” guideline for Circle was immediately forgotten by the question, “What is Lent?”

I should have known and said something about the significance of the day beforehand. As it was I said I’d tell about Lent after we were done with the round. Which I did.

There was a surprising amount of interest in Lent and Ash Wednesday. If I ever lead a Circle on Ash Wednesday again in jail I’ll plan some time to talk about it, maybe do an imposition of ashes. And connect it more pointedly to the story of Peter’s Denial.

The Word I Heard exercise brought out a variety of words and phrases, some from the story, some inspired by the story. One woman offered a commentary that was especially poignant: ““He forgot who he was walking with.”

Peter wasn’t the only one who ever suffered that kind of amnesia. Most of us do much of the time. Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to acknowledge our forgetfulness, repent of it, and commit to remembering that the spirit of Jesus accompanies our journey through life.