In many cultures, past and present, this day is a promise of release from the dreary darkness and bitter cold of winter. Beneath the frozen earth, life stirs. This midwinter celebration, halfway between the first day of winter and the first day of spring, gives us hope.
Like watching your children grow, you look up one morning and say, “When did you get so tall?” Those extra minutes of sunlight each day since the Winter Solstice have accumulated. Lift your eyes, look around, become aware of the light. The lengthening of days is a slow process—but the change is now noticeable.
The guilt of what we did “wrong” last year and the pressure to make resolutions to better ourselves is associated with the New Year.
This first day of February offers a fresh start. It is about new beginnings. It brings knowledge that the seeds we planted are deep within—there is life underneath the frost and snow. These plants will soon break through the soil, reaching and growing.
Trust that there is life in the darkness and there you will find hope.
My Sunday thoughts in 200 words or less.
Simply beautiful. Thank you.
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Thank you. 🙂
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Lovely post, Sarah. I felt inspired just reading it 🙂
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I’m so glad. Thanks, Lori. 🙂
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I always enjoy the positive message of your Sunday posts. The photo is beautiful! 🙂
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Thank you, Norah. That makes my day even brighter. 🙂 I took that photo just last week after the blizzard we had here. Ice-encrusted branches reaching toward the sun. Gorgeous.
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I wasn’t sure if it was yours or not. It is indeed gorgeous!
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I so appreciate this view of February, which can be a really low month (cold + still so much winter left). What a great outlook.
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Thanks! There is quite a bit of winter left. This is no doubt why the midwinter festivals were so widespread. People could ward off the hopelessness and celebrate what is on its way: warmth and light (and hope).
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Very beautiful and hope-filling. 🙂
Gorgeous picture too!
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Thanks! I don’t know if you can see it clearly in the photo but the branches are encased in ice. It was unbelievably beautiful with that color blue of the sky. I was thrilled how the sun shone like a starburst, too.
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‘Trust that there is life in the darkness and there you will find hope.’ And your gorgeous photo illustrates your hope-filled thoughts perfectly…I hold your comforting message close to my heart as we do indeed leave January behind. And good riddance I say 🙂 You touch my heart Sarah ❤
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Aw. You are always so sweet, Sherri. I appreciate it. I’m glad you liked the post. It is a beautiful time of year (if we can trust in the stirrings of life) and that photo doesn’t do justice to the beauty of that post-blizzard day. (But it comes close.) Agreed! Good riddance to the pressure of the New Year. We can make a new start whenever we damn well please. ❤
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Absolutely 🙂 ❤
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What a lovely post. Sometimes it makes all the difference in a day to just turn your face up to the sun for a minute. 🙂
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Oh, that is beautiful. Yes. Some days turning your face up to the sun, if only for a minute, can change everything. Thank you.
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When it starts to get light later than 4 p.m. I get so excited! Cheering on the hope in this post!
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One of the many reasons I love this day is because I mark it so that we can really pay attention to how those sunlit minutes have created an extra hour of light for us. Thanks, Charli!
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Lovely thoughts. Spring was always my favorite season, even with the allergies. I love seeing the world come alive again. That cycle always brings a sense of hope.
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Isn’t it awesome? I love walking with my kids in late winter/early spring looking for tiny buds pushing up through the soil. It’s beautiful.
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I love this. I just realized that it is definitely staying light later. So great. xox
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Yes. The cycle of the seasons is turning. There’s a marked difference in the light we’re seeing. (And it’s making all the snow we’re getting look pretty so…bonus.)
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