Shrove Tuesday

Word to my peeps -

Today is Shrove Tuesday.  It's the precursor to Lent.  For obvious reasons, this is my least favorite time of year.  It's rather ominous given the way the events always play out.  Every year, the same thing happens.  And you know what?  It hurts...  a lot...  Anyway...

Shrove Tuesday.  A lot of people have these rituals they perform.  Speaking of rituals, I will have many more thoughts to share at a later date.  Less I digress...

The Lutherans are big into having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.  Go out, get some Aunt Jamima syrup and some Bisquick and knock yourselves out.  Others, like to have crepes.  Personally crepes give me the creeps.  Yet others make some kind of dumpling to eat... Whatever floats your boat.

Me being King and all, one of my personal favorites is the tradition of the King Cake typically associated with Mardi Gras.  I love all the pretty colors and the circle shape.  It reminds me of a big, beautiful technicolor communion wafer with a big hole in it.  Kinda like a donut.  Anyway, the best part of the cake is the little baby Jesus replica hidden inside.  Dear Ricky Bobby, one of my biggest fans, appreciates Dear baby me.  He starts every prayer with "Dear Baby Jesus."  Man, I love him - and you, too.

I have fond memories of my childhood working with my mortal father, Joseph, in the wood shop.  Measure twice, cut once was our modus operandi.  Less I digress - the cakes even come with jewelry beads to wear - like a Jesus party - everyone all decked out with their colorful plastic beads, eating King Cake waiting to see who gets baby Jesus.  Usually the winner proclaims me as their Lord and Savior and is forgiven of their sins.  In a way, they die and are born clean again.  Like YO - I'm the steam cleaner of the soul.  Then, better than the baby replica, the winner gets to provide next years King Cake and recruit a new believer to our little club.

Shrove Tuesday is definitely cool...  If you can't participate in one of the above ritualistic traditions, here is another to consider.  One of my lost sheep's family had a little tradition of their own.  They would eat donuts on Shrove Tuesday.  The theory went like this:  If you eat a donut, you won't get worms.  The donuts were to be the simple glazed donuts.  Donuts are readily available and very inexpensive.  You can get the little Dolly Madison gems, the grocery store kind, some Krispy Kremes or the Cadillac of them all - the Dunkin Donuts.  Be sure to get the regular ones with the hole.  None of that munchkin stuff - the politically correct phraseology would be none of the ball shaped donut product.

The donut circle shape is a symbol.   It represents the life cycle and the reality that we are all connected in this big thing called life.  If anything is missing, the circle is not complete.  You know - doin' it Lion King style.  Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki and the like.  The story seems so biblical, with the extensive use of animals as characters representing me, my friends and our story.  Quite lovely, if I do say.

So, go out and have some pancakes or some crepes.  Donuts are fun.  If you eat a donut, you are guaranteed to not get worms for an entire year.  How cool is that?  However, I highly recommend gathering and partaking in the King Cake tradition.  It's soo much fun - almost to die for.

Grace to All which passes human understanding! - Jesus