Happy Groundhog Day...and Candlemas...and Imbolc!

Today is a big holiday in that there are 3 holidays celebrated today...along with a friend's birthday. The three more popular reasons to celebrate (sorry Trey, hmmm, Trey...see a theme here?) all have to do with the coming spring. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning so that means 6 more weeks of winter. Since we really haven't seen much of a winter yet, I guess that's OK. As the Yankee Candle Company reminded us, today is the midpoint of winter and the day that churches bless all the candles for the year. There's also a saying-"If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, Winter will have another fight. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won't come again". As for Imbolc, author Laurell K. Hamilton sums it up this way, "Imbolc is the promise of life’s return, not exactly spring, but a measure of hope that spring, and summer, will come, and winter does not last forever." She has a great post about the holiday. So celebrate today. I'll be celebrating-I need to get through this evening at work, then I start vacation!