So Why the History Lesson?

Because last Groundhog Day, 2019, I was at a cold but beautiful, fun, crazy wedding on the edge of Niagara Falls!
I never thought I’d enjoy cold weather, but this wedding took everything I thought I felt about winter and cold and showed me otherwise (at least for the day)!
The awesome couple had everyone in their party, from grandparents to flower girls (to officiants), wearing home made groundhog noses, attached by elastic around our heads. 
For those that haven’t been to Niagara Falls (New York or Ontario – there are two!) it is always misty.  Like a heavy, thick, moving fog. It can be extremely cold, with icicles hanging from lamp posts and branches or a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of summertime. In February, you’re likely to get ice.  And lots of it.
The water never stops going over Niagara Falls- an average of 3,160 tons of water goes over the American and Canadian falls every day, all day. 

During the wedding, a small piece of heavy equipment was consistently trying to move slabs of snow and frozen ice out of the way of tourists and wedding photos.  Visitors from everywhere in the world were the background members of both the wedding and the pictures. 
The sound of the Falls was in the background while we wore our groundhog noses, stayed warm and huddled around the exuberant bride and groom as they exchanged their vows and enjoyed the moment.
That moment.
It didn’t matter if they were cold or not, wet or dry, on ice or not, at that moment, at that exact time, with strangers in the background and a beautiful mist and ice that covered everything, including our groundhog noses, everything was perfect.  They looked at each other with love and warmth, respect and fun and total openness, rubbed noses, kissed and enjoyed the moment and marveled at all the moments to come.
And, as a Canadian, I have always looked forward to Groundhog Day, but it was in THAT moment, in 2019, that I began to LOVE Groundhog Day.

Now, just over a year later, and more than 1,500 miles to the south, my homemade groundhog nose has gone thousands of miles with me (and, often my dog) and is still wrapped around my rearview mirror to remind me to stay in the moment.
At your service,
Rev. Poppy