In a virtual ceremony held last week, attention was on Wiarton Willie as he predicted an early Spring. Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam and Quebec's Fred la Marmotte both said winter is here to stay. Regardless, it's the second year that Groundhog Day events have gone virtual, and for the locations of the more famous prognosticators the economic impact is being felt.
The home of Punxsutawney Phil is a town of 5,770 people but its population swells to 12,000-20,000 when February 2 falls on a weekday, and more than 30,000 when it hits a weekend and a multi-day festival is held. The Chamber of Commerce says the famous rodent injects about $1 million into the region’s economy each year.
Canada's own Wiarton Willie is an integral part of the marketing of the town of 2,300 who have felt the impact of being unable to hold the events that normally generate tremendous economic activity.
But of course the big ticket day in February comes next week when $23.9 billion is expected to be spent. Inflation is impacting everything from roses to jewelry to chocolate, but early indicators suggest more couples are opting for a big night out after having missed out last year. Men will be spending about $235; women $119.
My spending won't come close to that, not only because the Olympics will be featuring ski jumping, aerials and bobsleigh that day (I know, I know, roll your eyes) but because Valentine's Day ranks second for me in romantic observances in February. Right behind Groundhog Day. No, I'm not kidding.
I was on a music ministry team right out of university. It was seven people, one van, and ten months of touring as we presented concerts 8-10 times per week across Canada and into the United States.
So this is the scenario...a group of people selected because they have a passion for their faith, music and ministry, and are chosen specifically because of similar interests. A group chosen for how well they will get along. As much as we had in common, and even though it was hoped we would unite strongly (which we did), there was a ground rule—no dating on team.
I fully supported the guideline. A couple within the mix could cause problems for the group and we were all well aware of what. So…yeah…I agreed in principle. Until I met the team members. You see…there was this guy…and although we knew something was building between us, we tried to ignore it. We had to.
But then something unexpected happened. As we were travelling on a Saskatchewan highway on a very cold February 2, the engine on our van started on fire. We quickly pulled to the side of the road and everyone jumped out. One of our teammates had sprained her ankle and was on crutches. Not wanting her bandaged-wrapped foot to touch the snow, a teammate grabbed a pillow from the van and threw it on the ground to cushion her foot. It was my pillow.
Our van was towed to a garage in the nearest town and we found ourselves with many hours to fill as we waited for the repairs to be completed in what they estimated would be three days.
Amidst contacting head office, cancelling concerts, finding a place to stay, and retrieving our belongings from the trailer and van, we discovered my pillow was gone. Totally forgotten and left at the side of the highway.
Later that day, in the absence of the normally busy schedule, 'that guy', whose name was Delwyn, and I had a chance to talk. Really talk. We knew this wasn't a flirtation. Something much more was going on and the feelings were deep. Days later, he had a conversation with the leadership of the ministry and, unbeknownst to me in that moment, offered to leave the team.
He was willing to sacrifice his dream so that I could continue mine. Putting me ahead of himself. He's been doing that for more than three decades now and I have been blessed.
Fortunately, he didn't have to leave the team. An honest conversation with everyone ensured the team stayed together. Ten months later we were engaged.
At our wedding one of our teammates told the story of the day the van’s engine blew up. He summarized the event saying, “She lost her pillow but gained a man.” I prefer to remember it as the day the team lost a transmission and I found the love of my life. Nothing comes close to that. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. That’s my outlook.
