Dance, Sing, or Spring Just make sure You Soak Up the Sunshine

  

  20 MARCH
Today is the Spring

                                                                  Equinox, when we

hang perfectly balanced
between light
and dark, day and
night. The word Lent
comes from the lengthening
of the daylight
hours. Pray that your
life will tip toward
the light.

How wonderful to have this Lenten "challenge" . How can you turn spring hope into a negative or angry post?

I don't know about you but its about time for spring as far as I'm concerned. Maybe in this area we have had little winter but some how I feel my heart and soul have had one...but now its time for a new day!!!

From a scientific stand point the Vernal Equinox is an astronomical event, it's one of the four quadrature days of the Earth's orbit. However for people both modern and ancient, the Vernal Equinox marked the transition from winter into spring. The Vernal Equinox occurs on March 20th or 21st and is one of two days during the year when there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, the other day is the Autumnal Equinox.
People have been marking and celebrating the Vernal Equinox for thousands of years. The Great Sphinx which was constructed over 4500 years ago on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, faces due east on the Vernal Equinox. The monoliths located at Stonehenge, which are estimated to be over 3000 years old, mark the position of the rising sun on the Vernal Equinox. In Central America the Ancient Mayan Caracol Tower and Temples of the Sun and Moon also have alignments that coincide with the sun's position on the Vernal Equinox. (must be pretty important for all these huge creations to be built centering around it!!!)

Most historians believe that this knowledge was important to ancient cultures in choosing a time to plant their crops. In Iran they celebrate Norouz (which roughly translates to "new day") on the Vernal Equinox. In China they celebrate Chunfen on the Vernal Equinox. In ancient Europe they celebrated the arrival of the goddess of spring Ostara on this day. Ostara was also known as Ostera and Eostre in different parts of Europe. Many historians believe the Christian holiday Easter gets its name from Eostre, as she had an enchanted rabbit that could lay eggs. In more modern times the Vernal Equinox marked the first Earth Day celebration in 1971.
One of the odd traditions that that occur on the Vernal Equinox is egg balancing. The story goes that it is possible to balance a raw egg on its oblong end on this day. IS there any  truth to this rumor is it really just as easy (or hard) to balance an egg on its end on this day as it is any other day? Try it and see and let us know!!!

How many of you feel new hope when the days get longer, the air gets warmer and some how softer? Why do we get the winter get so many of us down?

I've been watching the calender so I knew spring was coming. There are also signs out doors that its on the way, and of course the time change. Some how I've been having trouble getting ME to feel the hope of spring. The joy the renewal the excitement.  Then I read this quote from story people:

 The birds brought seed & flowers & bits of brightly colored string & placed them in her hair while she slept so that she would remember the wild joy of spring when she finally awoke.

It got me to thinking  what if we could be spring and hope to each other during all seasons? To notice some one down and to bring them something "bright and shiny"  to make their day lighter brighter and more hopeful. This doesn't mean a physical gift necessarily, but something that makes their burden lighter and their hopes higher.

To all my friend,s it is well with my soul as I hope it is with yours.

AND soak up the sunshine my loves!!!