LIGHT it UP!

Well hello again friends, this is Dick Foth. I've been gone a couple of weeks taking a little break from podcasting, but I am back and I am recording this on February the 1st, 2024. And these are stories from the road. Tomorrow, as I'm recording this, is February the 2nd. What a day. Some of us say, yes, that's Groundhog Day. That's all about Punxitani Phil. You say, who is Punxitani Philwa? He's that Groundhog that lives as his ancestors have apparently on Gobler's knob in Western Pennsylvania near the town of Punxitani. And early on February the 2nd morning, which may have been passed by the time you're listening to this, his handlers will announce whether he saw his own shadow and predict six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Right, it's all part of a tradition rooted in European agriculture life. And it marks the midpoint between the shortest day of the year, December 21st, and the winter solstice on the winter solstice and the spring equinox, which is March 19th this year. It's also a time of year that figures historically in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candle Moss. And it's all predicated in European traditions on practices and lore, on sort of a lighthearted suspension of disbelief by those involved. To assure the Groundhog can tell when it's going to be a longer winter or an early spring. Anyway, that's great fun. Let me tell you what February 2nd is in terms of great joy. Great joy is that it is our eldest daughter, Erica's birthday. What a day that was in Modesto, California, a bunch of years ago. She was our first Erica. And when she was born, what a beautiful baby. We all say those kinds of things, but she had this head that was rimmed by just a trim of red hair, sort of a seven pound or seven and a half pound fryer tuck, if you will. And she has blessed our lives, just pure joy. But let me move to one other piece on February 2nd that I would call transcendent awe. So we have great fun pure joy. And here comes transcendent awe. Breaking news. December 22nd to February 2nd in terms of daylight. We have 42 minutes more of daylight now than we did on December 22nd. Sunset then was 437 PM on February 2nd. Sunset will be 519 PM. You say, what does that have to do with anything? Well, I just find it interesting, especially since in Genesis 1, the first recorded sentence that God spoke is let there be what? Let there be light light. And you've heard me speak of this numbers of times on these podcasts. So I'm not going to go into it here. Light is one of the foundations for the universe. And for sure, life on planet earth without light, you don't have color, you don't have the capacity to measure distance, you don't have the capacity to measure time accurately. Accurately, it's the key to the food chain, all those things, a huge subject. But for now, I'd like to scope it down. The Psalmist, a shepherd back in the day who became a warrior and a king and all those things wrote Psalm 119. It's a long, Psalm, but in there is embedded this phrase of Psalmist speaking to his God, Yahweh. Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. I have a friend Steve Moore who lives in Minnesota, but spends a lot of time in Washington, DCs, been a speechwriter since the mid 70s for lots of leaders. And this is what he wrote about that verse. Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. This is what he says. I love how personal this is. I have that word in quotes of the God of the universe and it is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. He goes on to say a couple of other things and says this makes the eternal wisdom and direction of the Lord very specific and relevant, not generic, obtuse or fun ideas to kick around. This verse also assumes I'm traveling in the dark, which I also assume I am. Lots of information about my surroundings isn't clear. Pride thinks I've got it pretty much figured out. Faith however needs a light and a lamp. It's interesting. Light I believe grows in scope, light life. We now have 42 minutes of light in a day than we did just a few weeks ago. Light grows in our awareness a bit by bit. Ruth and I recently had two great grandchildren here for two and a half days, one is eight months old and one is four months old. And coming back to Erica who was born on February 2nd. These are two of Erica and Vans five grandchildren now. Stella who is eight months and Nora who is four. Nora, the four month old, while she was here turned over for the first time. We would watch her lying on a blanket in our front room with Nora and you're just watching him right I mean when you have a little what's like that it's better than watching TV as they learn bit by bit and rapidly really and finally she turned over for the first time. That's light light. It comes bit by bit. As we walk in trust in faith. We can expect more light, more understanding, more surety. And when I talk with people older than myself, people who have walked in faith or trust walkers if I can call them that with the light they had day to day. So what I most often find is that they have a capacity to distill life. They're often not easily ruffled by events around them. They tend to have a big picture if they have actually walked in light over the years. I think at the heart of it, they're grateful, grateful for this day and the light both physical and spiritual that they've received. And I think they come to that distillation and that unruffled sense for the big picture and grateful hearts. I believe they come to that by walking each day in the light. Did I mention sunset on February the second here in Colorado will be 5.19 PM. But on March 19th, just a few weeks from now, which is that spring equinox sunset will be at 7.11 PM. How's that for something to look forward to? And hang on. First day of summer in June, June 21, the sun will go down at 8.32 PM. I got to tell you, I'm with God on this. Let there be light. That's it for now. Catch you next time. This is Dick Foth signing off stories from the road. Have a wonderful few days coming up until I come back the next time. God bless. You