It’s February 2. Ground Hog Day.
Today, eyes are focused on Punxsutawney Phil, General Beauregard Lee, or some other weather predicting ground hog to determine if we will have six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Some states like Montana put no stock in such fables because they know they will have six more weeks of winter regardless. Ground hogs can be short-lived there if they are caught burrowing beneath or dining on logs of old cabins, so their predictions are not considered reliable anyway.
You may have seen the movie Ground Hog Day. It might be a good possibility that if you have seen it once, you have seen it numerous times. A guy experiences the same day over and over again until he gets it right. By the time that happens, he is an accomplished pianist, knows how to save lives, has become kind and compassionate, hasn’t aged a day, and has a whole new outlook on life.
We might find times or seasons, maybe even years, in our lives when we feel stuck in our own Ground Hog Day, stuck in a rut. For those who have been stuck in a literal rut, you know it could be a while before you manage to pull out.
My granddad had his own idea of Ground Hog Day. It was a day of celebration. For many years, he took the family out to eat on Ground Hog Day. If I was working that day, I would meet them for lunch. Sometimes I even took the girls with me.
I think he was on to something. When we have those times in our lives when we can’t seem to pull out of our rut, maybe we should just find something to celebrate. Look around and find something to be thankful for and find someone to share it with.
Get ready girls. It’s Ground Hog Day and we’re going out to lunch!