This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in my faith as a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I use Lent as an opportunity for personal reflection, and change. I've already sent my personal goals, and begun on many of them.
Ash Wednesday is traditionally the only day of the year during which I wear a visible sign of my faith, the ashes on my forehead.
This year, I'll only be wearing ashes for a few hours in the early afternoon. There is a meeting of the Beasley Neighbourhood Association that evening, and I am now titularly a member of the executive. My role on the executive is very limited, nonetheless, when exercising a position of public trust, it is my own personal belief that I should not display a religious symbol.
I'll be washing my ashes prior to the meeting.
I do wish to emphasis that my view is on how I conduct myself; I do not believe removal of religious symbols should be a requirement of others.