Here's Tea in Your Eye - Ash Wednesday Sty-le

Yesterday as Oneida, Annette, Joanne and I were having a little Mardi Gras lunch, Oneida told me that I had a sty in my eye. "A what?" I asked. I knew my eye was very sore and my eyelid was swollen, but that was about it.

Perhaps I should have known what a sty is, but I didn't. So being the addicted-to-the-internet person that I am, I came home and looked it up. For those of you who also may not know, it is an infection of one of your eyelash follicles. How fun. All I know is that for the past two days now, I have been sitting around putting warm teabags on my eye (advice of Oneida, also). (Wearing my glasses with this home remedy is a plus, I must add - it holds the teabag in!) (Are you getting a mental image here?)

Moving from that sty, I also read in the Quick Takes column of the Sun-Times that today is "National Pig Day." I don't know how one should celebrate this day, but I find it ironic it's the same time I have a STY in my eye.

Today being Ash Wednesday, I also was reminiscing with Fr. Tony on the way home from work about my years working at St. Clare. We used to get SO MANY calls that day asking when exactly ashes were being given. Not what time the Mass or service was, but what time to the minute ashes were being given.

One year, I got a call from a nearly hysterical woman calling saying she NEEDED to talk to a priest. I told her neither priest was available at the moment (they were in church giving out the ashes). She would not take no for an answer. She needed to talk to one "because I think I ate too much," she said.

My immediate thought was, "Lady, take some Pepto or something." But after a second I realized she thought she had eaten too much for this day of FASTING. Oh geez... But it's something I'll always remember.

Speaking of fasting, Molly and I just had a discussion about whether there is a patron saint of dieting. Well, not to our knowledge. But I DID just find St. Peter Faber. He assisted at the DIET of Worms. Think that might count?

Since it's only Ash Wednesday, and yes, yesterday WAS FAT Tuesday, I will save the wanting-to-eat-and-knowing-you-shouldn't discussion for another day.

And now that I think of it, shouldn't Fat Tuesday, rather than Ash Wednesday, be National Pig Day?