Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Hast thou not known?  hast thou not  heard, that the everlasting God, The  LORD, the Creator of the ends of the  earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?   There is no searching of His  understanding. ~Isaiah 40:28

Dr. Ralph Stanley turns 89 years old today.  He started singing and picking banjo professionally in 1946 with his brother, Carter, and the Clinch Mountain Boys.  After Carter's death in 1966, his fans urged him to continue his music with the Clinch Mountain boys, and he decided to give it a try. I'm so glad he did. He has been pickin' and singin' for more than sixty years now. In the year 2000, Dr. Ralph's music was featured in the movie, O Brother, Where art Thou , which introduced his music to millions that had not heard it before.  In 2002, he won a Grammy for his song, O Death .  In 2006, he received the Living Legend award from the Library of Congress and National Metal of Arts given by President George W. Bush. Hub and I saw him performing with his grandson and band last July.  The crowd loved him.  Happy Birthday, Dr. Ralph.  

Look unto me , and be ye saved, all the  ends of the earth: for I am God , and  there is none else. ~Isaiah 45:22

  I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.   As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.   As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.   He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Song of Solomon 2:1-4

  The name of the  Lord  is a strong tower:  the righteous runneth into it, and is  safe. ~Proverbs 18:10

Sooooo, I'm just wondering how this got started.  My parents, even without the Weather Channel, always acknowledged it, and  hated the days the sun was out to make the groundhog's shadow. For most of the country, how hard is to to imagine winter lasting through the middle of March?  Even here in North Alabama, March sometimes brings snow and cold winds and gray, miserable days. Groundhog's Day is not a national holiday, but it appears on every calendar I checked.  It is cloudy here now, with predictions of big storms later today. Try and make it a good day, in spite of groundhogs and pending storms.