It's Spring!

Today is the first day of spring!  The Google graphic says it's so, but I didn't believe it - so, of course I had to google it. 😄 

Well... to be precise, at 11:50 pm, it will officially be spring.  

I don't know about you, but the first day of spring crept up and totally surprised me this year.  At first I thought it was starting this "15 days to slow the spread" this week that put my internal calendar out of whack.  Do you find yourself losing track of the days or even approximately where we are in the month?   Well, added to our present (somedays feeling like a suspended) reality, spring actually has come early this year.  If you've looked at the date and asked yourself if you can remember spring starting this early, the answer would be NO.  You can't remember, because it hasn't happened in your lifetime.  Spring hasn't come this early in 124 years!

Google it yourself and find out why.  At the Old Farmer's Almanac website I found more information than I could digest in one sitting, but something else stood out to me that I didn't know - that there are two first days of spring every year.  There is an astrological first day of spring and a meteorological first day of spring.  Did you know that?

For me, the first day of spring always seems like cause for celebrating.  Or at least recognition.  

It's a rainy day, with severe weather threatening, so it's not really suitable for a walk - which would be the obvious thing to do to ring in spring.  But I already had a plan.  On this first day of spring I've hung up a brand new spring wreath - a wreath that was ordered and delivered to me in February.  I've been waiting weeks for this!  And today I'm so happy to finally have it hanging on my front door.  

On this otherwise dreary, rainy day, in the midst of so many things shutting down over this nasty, scary virus, I'm thinking of this wreath as a symbol of hope.  There may be some frightening and surely sad days ahead for many people - related to the virus as well as other perilous things that happen on this earth.  But this uncertain time will pass, and new ones will come.  In them all I purpose to hold tight to faith in God who knows the number of all the white and graying hairs on my head (as well as what few dark ones I have left).

It's my prayer that each of us experiences today, this first day of spring, as a gift.  The gift of another day, but also a gift of hope.  I also pray that you are kept safe - from the present virus and from any other perils that may threaten.

Stay safe.  Stay well.  

~~~~~

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, 

the evidence of things not seen.

~ Hebrews 11:1