(AP photo)

At noon, Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in downtown Spokane was packed with people attending Ash Wednesday Mass. It's the beginning of Lent for many Christian faith traditions. And as the ashes are placed on the forehead, the line is uttered that says basically we came from dust and to dust we shall return.

It's a symbolic reminder that we're all headed to the dust heap in one way or another. Might be today. Might be 50 years from now. There is no great escape.

And these opinions on this blog, the issues we get in debates about, the issues we sometimes feel so passionate about, shall disappear, too. It's humbling but not paralyzing. We're all at our computers in Opinion Land, typing away.

So these are some of my Ash Wednesday thoughts. And yours? Blog lines (still undusty) remain open.

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