Those of you back in the States 'sprung ahead' by one hour a few weeks ago, but here in this part of the world, we didn't do it until last night. After a LONG, DARK winter (in the darkest part of December, the sun wouldn't rise until after 8:30, and would set by 3:30), sunlight is an incredible gift! And this winter has been particularly long (snow as recently as last week) and due to that, has felt particularly dark.
Our church meets at 5pm on Sundays. In the darkest part of the winter, we go to church in the dark. As our days slowly started to get longer in January (it's something like 2 minutes longer each day), it was fun to look out the windows & see how much longer it stayed light each week. The past few weeks it's even been light until after we've gotten home! As I was sitting in church this evening, enjoying a wonderful Palm Sunday service, it caught my attention how tremendously bright it was outside. Part of the shock was because it had been raining most of the day, but despite that, there was no way it should be that bright while we were still at church!
It was wonderful to come home tonight while it was still bright and to find myself surprised as I looked at the clock to see that it was already 8:00 while I was cooking dinner -- and not dark yet!!! This is only the beginning of the disorienting summer sunshine of Lithuania. It will only stay lighter for longer here on out...until we hit the lightest part of the summer when the sun only goes down for about an hour between midnight & 1am. It's during that wonderful season that you lose all track of time, want to be outside all evening and forget to make dinner or put kids to bed until much past a sensible time. It's FABULOUS!!!
For as much as Lithuanian winters may be long & dark, they make us revel in each beautifully bright evening as the days continue to get longer and longer. Which reminds me...I've got to get on top of making those curtains for the skylights in the kids room pretty quick! Light...GLORIOUS light!
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