It’s Leap Year today! February 29th.

Leap Year was introduced to the world in ancient Rome around 45 BC but was only added to the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. It exists to keep the months in sync with annual events, including equinoxes and solstices.

There are some pretty crazy and interesting folk traditions that are associated with Leap Year. In Ireland and Britain women may propose marriage on February 29 and a 1288 law requires that fines be levied if a marriage proposal is refused - such a a pair of leather gloves, a single rose or a kiss. Don’t say no!

Here’s a good one - WOMEN MAY WEAR BRITCHES ON THIS DAY OR A SCARLET PETTICOAT! Good to know.

Since 1980, in France, a satirical newspaper titled “La Bougie du Sapeur” is published only on this day.

If you are born on February 29 you are called a “leapling” or a “leaper" with most birthdays being celebrated on March 1st instead. A leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 play - Pirates of Penzance, displays this fact clearly. Frederic (the pirate apprentice) discovers he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday but that is when he turns 88! Clever!

Without leap years, after a few hundred years, we would have summer in November.

While I find all these wonderful, ancient Leap Year traditions interesting and cute - this year - I’m more intrigued by the concept of the passing of time and the concept of getting an extra day this year. Perhaps it’s because I’ve just sailed around the sun one more year - perhaps it’s the aging process - perhaps it’s realizing that each passing year is a gift - or perhaps I just didn’t give it that much thought over the years. For three years in a row we get 365 days - but - every four years we get this extra day to laugh, cry, praise, holler, pray, eat, sleep, work, reflect, play, love, rest, dance and so much more.

When we were pastoring in Cambridge - we lived next door to a guy named Tom. Tom smoked like a chimney, started his diesel truck up at all hours of the day or night - talked a blue streak about growing up in the south - was a master at all things when it came to building or fixing and we loved him. He spent many hours sitting at our kitchen table or leaning over the fence having a chat. He built our front deck. He built our pool house. He put the sky light in our screened in porch. He fixed our dryer more times than not. He ate our table. He sipped coffee on that porch he built. Tom always said “measure twice - cut once!” Tom got lung cancer and asked Randy to do his funeral.

Randy chose a passage from the Old Testament for Tom. It’s very familiar - it’s often quoted - and there have been songs written using the words.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7 - For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to keep silence and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace!

That passage of verses sums up what the wisest King who ever lived knew about life and time. King Solomon. He knew that our God is the God of time and space and life and death - the God of our comings and our goings - that God is sovereign and in control of our lives. Every blessing - every trial - every day and year - every leap year - everything is designed so we would have comfort and enjoyment in Him and in our lives. Even in the difficulties - even in the diseases - even in the divorces - even in the deaths - even in the struggles - our comfort is this - God is the One we can go to. “In the shadows of Your wing I will take refuge - until the storms of destruction pass by!”

On this Leap Day/Leap Year - I ask myself this question - “What am I going to do with this extra 24 hours?” Probably do what I do everyday! I’ll get up and make the coffee and share it with Harv. (Or if he’s up first - he’ll make it). Harv will read the local news and let me know what’s going on in Kincardine. We’ll pray for our grandkids at 8:15 as they head out the door to school. I’ll go to the gym for 9. I’ll message my sisters and check in to see how they are doing. I’ll answer messages from friends. It’s Thursday so there is no Pickle ball so I’ll go for a long walk to get my 10,000 steps in. I may wear britches or a scarlet petticoat. I’ll decide what we’re having for supper and get things ready. I’ll do some writing. Maybe I’ll read. I’ll work on the jigsaw puzzle we’ve had going since before Christmas. In the evening, we’ll watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and then either the Leafs or Raptors. It’s not extraordinary and it won’t make the 6 o’clock news, but it’s our life and we do it well. It’s an extra day to be a blessing and encouragement to those in my tribe.

Here’s a Leap Year Prayer for us all today!

Dear God.

Thank You for today. Thank You for this extra day to live and love - to work and play - to laugh and cry - to share life with family and friends. Help us to remember that as this day is meant to realign the universe to keep time, I will remember to continue to realign my own life to You.

Thank You for Your guidance through my life - Your timing in my life - the seasons of blessings and the seasons of want - the waiting and the answers to those waits. You are always good.

Show me where I’ve hesitated to trust You. Show me when I barge into things too quickly. Open the eyes of my heart so I’ll know how to love my family and my friends better.

Thank You for all Your mercies, Your love and blessings in my life. Amen.