Lent, DST, & the Lottery—What Are You Looking Forward To?
- Maggie Wallem Rowe
- Mar 4
- 4 min read
AUDIO FILE—You can listen to this letter while you're busy with other things!
Lent has arrived, and with it a seasonal march towards the sacred, our souls reaching for the holy.
What does Scripture mean when it commands us to be holy as God is holy? Is that even possible?
It’s still winter where many of you live, and even here in southern Appalachia the temps continue to shudder and descend below freezing when the sun drops behind the mountains.
But our neighbors’ yard at a lower elevation is awash with sunshine—daffodils with ruffled collars tilting their faces upward, rosy pink and creamy white trilliums lining woodland paths.
Even when winter lingers, like a guest who has outstayed his welcome, the arrival of March stirs us to pull out bulb catalogs and travel brochures, transitional clothing and pastel décor. In March a certain madness makes us all basketball fans, while St. Patrick’s Day makes us all Irish, the wearin’ of the green a sign of the growing season to come.
For the past eight weeks, we’ve been digging for treasure in the darkness, searching to find light in the deepest places.
We've talked about body image and wellness journeys, bringing hope into our friends’ lives, and acknowledging times when our strength is not sufficient.
We explored depression, the power of gratitude, and the tricky art of discussing sensitive topics with loved ones.
We reminded one another that sometimes the dark blooms and sings, bringing light only visible in places of deep blackness.
[Miss one of these? Each of the eight posts in this series is linked at the end.]
But three months into the year, March strides into our lives with fresh hope. Lion or lamb, I’m excited she’s here for three reasons.
1) This week marks the beginning of Lent, encouraging us to move into new territory, tiptoe onto holy ground. I’ve spent the past year studying the topic of God’s glory and how his holiness changes us. A center just two hours away offers private retreats for those seeking silence and solitude, so my first letter in our new Lenten series will come to you next Tuesday from that space.
2) Daylight Saving Time is back this Sunday, the classic win (an extra hour of daylight), and lose (an hour of sleep.) The longer days are a gift!
3) I get to play the lottery next month!
Nope, not the kind you scratch off or cash in. In late April every year, Mike and I enter the Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing Lottery.
For four days only in late April, the national park service accepts requests for tickets permitting a limited number of vehicles to enter the park at night during eight designated days in June. Tens of thousands across the country vie for these coveted passes. Why?
We all want to view one of the most celebrated sights in nature—the synchronous fireflies of Elkmont. Photinus carolinus.
Living light.
These tiny bioluminescent creatures enact their ritual each June as a function of courtship. But for humans, it’s a spectacular light show—thousands of insects shining in synchronicity.
Those fortunate enough to observe them in the darkness describe the effect as one candle lighting another until a wave of light shimmers through the forest. Others claim it’s a symphony—a display choreographed to music only the fireflies can hear.
We’ve entered the firefly lottery for seven years now only to learn each time that our number wasn't chosen.
But perhaps 2025 will be the year we’ll witness this illumination for ourselves.
Tiny creations of God’s design flashing in unison in the darkness.
A sign—for those who see—of answered prayer in the human realm as well.
“How insupportable would be the days/ If the night with its dews and darkness/ Did not come to restore the drooping world.” —Henry David Thoreau
I’m praying that for you as well. Rest. Restoration. Reconciliation.
Light.
With so much love,
Maggie
IT's YOUR TURN!
What do you love (or maybe not!) about the month of March? Please leave a comment for our community!
[Did you miss a past post in this series? Could one of these be useful to someone you know?]
1/7/25 – Digging Out of the Darkness (beginning the search)
1/14/25 – Are You Discouraged About Your Body, Too? (how darkness can help)
1/21/25 – What if You Can be a Light in Another’s Darkness? (Art Garfunkel friendship story)
1/28/25 – God, You’ve Overestimated What I can Handle (when our strength is not enough)
2/11/25 – Dealing with Discouragement (Carole's story, focusing on others, power of gratitude)
2/18/25 – When People You Love Most Feel the Farthest Away (communicating on sensitive topics)
2/25/25 – Northern Lights—When the Dark Blooms and Sings (hope in places of darkness)