At 5:29 am (USA Central Standard Time), Sunday morning, March 20, 2016, it might be said again that traveling Cousin Eddie arrived in his beat-up RV for a 6-month visit.

Eddie (Randy Quaid) made his first appearance the 1989 movie “Christmas Vacation” when he and the family drove up for a stay with light-bulb-happy Clark “Sparky” Griswold (Chevy Chase). Now, that was a movie with electricity – most illuminating.

On March 20, 2016, at 5:29 am Dallas time, the vernal equinox arrived like Cousin Eddie to lighten up our world. (Of course, Cousin Eddie is a made-up character, but the vernal equinox is not made up – it is high up and right on time.)

“Vernal” means “spring,” and “equinox” means “equal night.” This is one of the two days in the year when the sun stands directly over the equator (that big belt circling the center of the earth). Because the sun is staring right down at the equator, its rays are distributed evenly to the northern and southern hemispheres. The equinox day is as close to equal in light and dark as any day can be. As such, the day is one of great equality for those residing on the surface of our planet.

Go out and bask in the uniform warmth of our star and share its encouraging rays with a friend. While you’re there, recite this equinox couplet, as you wander hatless through the fields of spring blooms:

Our sun plays no favorites in its sway

But favors all equally this day.

In the fall, you can hum these same two lines, because the other day-equal-night day is the autumnal equinox, which occurs on the first day of fall.

This year (2016) the autumnal equinox will again fall on September 22nd (the same as 2013). And again, we can bask with perfect equity in the same amount of “golden bennies from the sky.”

“Golden bennies from the sky” is a happily remembered phrase that welcomes the first day of the early northern spring when the golden beams (bennies) of the sun finally shine through the gray clouds of winter, melt our frigid dispositions, and excite us to run onto the greening lawns, throw Frisbees and generally act a little crazed.

Spring had sprung and I guess we had sprung a little with it.

Which isn’t a bad thing — to have a little fun in the sunshine of spring, to let our hearts be warmed by nature, and to be bighearted to those around us. Cousin Eddie was bighearted. He had a springtime smile in the icy snows of winter, because I think he’d learned the lesson of the vernal equinox:

Sun equinox high brings an easy smile

That shines bright inside for winter’s child.

However it is said, perhaps the lesson to be learned from the joys of these first days of spring is to remember to share those joys when nature has turned dreary and drab.

Enjoy the bright days of equinox high,

Remember in turn your days in the sun.

And share the light shining there in the sky,

To brighten a child’s oneday funday run.

I like Cousin Eddie.

He may not have much.

But he sure seems to have his share of fun.

Winter, spring, summer, and fall — don’t seem matter at all.

When Cousin Eddie smiles out that beat-up RV, searching for a stall.

Maybe I should learn from that high-up sun’s equinox arc.

And leave a space for him and his to park.

He may not have much.

But I sure do like

Cousin Eddie.

Keep an eye to the sky

A smile in greeting

The door open

For a friend

&

Thanks

Sun

Grandpa Jim

PS: This is a reprise with appropriate augmentation of the post of March 20, 2013. Be cheered with the growing light of spring — again . . . and again.