New Year, New Beginnings

Brightest Blessings everyone! I truly wish to thank you all for your continued love and support from the heart. It has meant so very much to me and my family. Huge hugs!  ... :-)

I hope the new year is finding everyone happy and well! Since I last posted, my dad had been released to a different rehab center ~ thank the Goddess!! This one is so much better than the one he had been in. That place was so bad that I swear to you I wouldn't even send my cats there (or dog if I had one)! I will spare you all the ugly details of it; however, I will tell you that I fought extremely hard to get him to the facility where he is currently now in rehab. Unfortunately, my parents insurance company had us between a rock and a hard place with very little option but to either (a) send him back to the horrible, very neglectful rehab where he had been for two weeks, or (b) send him a lot further away with a chance of receiving much better care! Needless to say, we chose the latter. It is a wonderful place called, "Laurel Center" located in Hamburg, PA ...

We are hopeful that he will be able to eventually return home and we could get by with having a visiting nurse to help my mother out. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Now, onto something a bit more up-lifting. Although it is still only the month of January, I am already looking forward to Imbolg and the promise of spring! I am sooo ready for the end of the freezing temperatures and ice. Not to mention the opportunity to see my favorite groundhog, "Punxsutawney  Phil," on the news give us all his 'farseeing' prediction about spring on Groundhog's Day ...

Almost every part of the country and/or world has their own unique version of the Groundhog and celebration which lands on February 2nd of each year and also happens to be the very same day as our Imbolg/Imbolc/Candlemas sabbat.

Groundhog Day is so popular here in PA, that I would be terribly remiss for not mentioning two of our more local weather predicting prognosticating groundhogs, "Shoey Louie" (from Shoemakersville, PA) and "Pagoda Patty" (who makes her live appearance from The Reading Pagoda in downtown Reading, PA). And let us not forget Canada's Wiarton Willie and  Winnipeg Willow ...

"Winnipeg Willow"

"Wiarton Willie"

I am hoping to be able to find the time to post a little more on Imbolg/Imbolc/Candlemas, but for the time being I will leave you all with this clip from the movie, "Groundhog Day" ...