Hope SPRINGS eternal!

Remember this rhyme from childhood?

Spring has sprung

The grass is ris'

I wonder where

The flowers is?

I love spring!  And because I am taking a journey thru lent, I looked for an appropriate verse for today.  Guess what?  I found this from the Song of Solomon 2:10-13 "...for now the winter is past, the rain [or snow!] is over and gone [hopefully soon for the snow!].  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.  The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance..."

Isn't that what we love about spring?  It is a season of hope and beauty and wonder!  The days are getting longer and the grass is getting greener and the flowers and trees are budding and blooming and the birds are returning and the butterflies are coming!  Matthew said it best when he told us to "consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."  (Matthew 6:28-29)

The first day of spring is called the vernal equinox.  Today the day and the night are equal lengths!  I really don't pretend to know much about science - ask my brother Mike who tried to tutor me in physics!  The only way I actually passed was because physics has a lot of math equations and, as we know by now, that is my forte!  Anyway, back to the equinox....  It has something to do with the sun and the earth dancing together in the heavens and that it is hard for scientists to watch because of the power of the sun.  Scientists have software that helps them today but did you know that Stonehenge is an equinox calendar?  I am always amazed at the creativeness of past cultures - Stonehenge, building the pyramids and aqueducts just to name a few.  Go to space.com to learn even more about the vernal equinox.  I might just add that they have a link to 6 signs that spring has sprung and a quiz about the earth that I got 8 out of 10 correct!  I was pretty pleased given they were all science questions!

So thank goodness we can see the light, literally, at the end of the tunnel!  Winter is such a long haul; this winter especially for my family.  But as the good book says "endurance produces character and character produces hope"  (Romans 5:4).  So there is hope for brighter tomorrows for all of us.  Is that why they say "hope SPRINGS eternal"?  Think about it!

All is becoming right with the world!  Be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32) and enjoy the lengthening days because everything seems to get better when we shed a little light on it!