One year I celebrated my birthday by planting a new rosebush on the equinox. Not this year. Snow fell all day, at times whirled by the wind. Revenge of La Nina. Meteorologist Cliff Mass predicts the pattern will break down by the end of April.

We’ll see.

On the equinoxes, the daylight hours are equal to the hours of darkness. My long-time friend Charlie writes that we are lucky to have our birthdays in March when the earth is waking up. He’s right. I wouldn’t want it any other way. So I wandered out in the sloppy snow to visit these few flowers. Snowdrops are long-lived bulbs that proliferate in clumps. After the flowers fade, the strappy leaves will transform sunlight and water into energy which is stored in the bulb. These remain dormant underground for months, just waiting for the right time to awaken and bloom.

I light the big sun candle left from my winter solstice observation, and contemplate what I will plant and nurture this coming year. More open-heartedness, trust, compassion. Adventure, connection, awakening. The seeds are here in the palm of my hand.

What will you grow?