Good evening and happy Saint Patrick's Day!
First a quick introduction
Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meetup for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing is welcome.
As we approach the vernal equinox (March 20th) I look forward to my second favorite season of the year. Spring always seems like a magical time to me. Maybe because of the coldness and bleakness of winter is over, maybe it's just part of the season but if the winter solstice is the birth of the new year then the vernal equinox marks the point at which life really starts to grow anew. I think more then anything this year I just am simply tired of snow and tired of the cold.
Which to me ties in nicely with the new year, after all if the new year is a possibility for rebirth then the vernal equinox marks an important point where we can check our progress. Have we fallen into old patterns? Was the thing(s) we thought we needed to change actually something we need to keep?
For me at least I find myself continuing to look forward to new opportunities, new possibilities and at the same time I find my thoughts turning to Saint Patrick's Day and what it means to me. I never knew my Irish grandmother though I can imagine the type of woman she was given that she defied her family to marry my grandfather and moved to America. She had to have known that it would be difficult and yet she followed her own path. I have to wonder, am I really that brave? Could I leave behind everything simply to follow my wishes? More then anything I wish I had had the chance to get to know her. It's rather appropriate reflection tonight I suppose as I sit here with a glass of scotch.
So that's what's on my mind tonight, what's on yours?