This year, the March equinox - that’s the beginning of spring - happens 5:37 a.m. March 20.

What, you ask, is the March equinox? Every year, on the equinox, the lengths of day and night are nearly equal wherever you are in the world.

The word equinox comes from the Latin words for equal night - aequus (equal) and nox (night). This happens only twice a year, spring and fall, when the sun is directly over the equator, making day and night equal.

The 2021 spring season begins March 20 and will extend through June 20. Now that we know, technically, what spring is, let’s look at what the season of spring inspires in the human heart and soul.

The thought of winter making way for spring brings to mind the rebirth of nature in all her glory. Spring celebrates new life and new beginnings, love and hope and, above all, the celebrations of Passover and Easter. Joyce Kilmer’s poem “Trees” perfectly blends the glory of nature with the presence of the Almighty.

“Trees” by Joyce Kilmer

“I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.”

NEW BOOKS ON ORDER

Fiction: “A Gambling Man,” David Baldacci; “The Power Couple,” Alex Berenson; “Tell Me No Lies,” Allison Brennan; “The Paris Library,” Janet Skeslien Charles; “Sooley,” John Grisham; “The Survivors,” Jane Harper; “The Other Emily,” Dean Koontz; “First Comes Marriage,” Debbie Macomber; “21st Birthday,” James Patterson and Maxine Paetro; “The Sanatorium,” Sarah Pearse; “The Shadow Box,” Luanne Rice; “Ocean Prey,” John Sandford; “Finding Ashley,” Danielle Steel; “Every Vow You Break,” Peter Swanson; “The Path to Sunshine Cove,” RaeAnne Thayne

Nonfiction: “Your Brain Is Always Listening: Tame the Hidden Dragons That Control Your Happiness, Habits and Hang-Ups,” Daniel G. Amen, M.D.; “Under Our Roof: A Son’s Battle for Recovery, a Mother’s Battle for Her Son,” Madeleine Dean with Harry Cunnane; “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amanda L. Tyler; “The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War,” Malcolm Gladwell; “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know,” Adam Grant; “Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America,” Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard; “The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer,” Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan; “The Beauty of Living Twice,” Sharon Stone; “Grace & Steel: Dorothy, Barbara, Laura and the Women of the Bush Dynasty,” J. Randy Taraborrelli

Juvenile: “Who Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?” Kirsten Anderson; “Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers,” Michelle Obama; “Camp Time in California (Magic Tree House Series #35),” Mary Pope Osborne

Children’s picture books: “Milo Imagines the World,” Matt de la Pena; “Chase the Moon, Tiny Turtle: A Hatchling’s Daring Race to the Sea,” Kelly Jordan; “A New Day,” Brad Meltzer; “Big Feelings,” Alexandra Penfold; “Dear Teacher: A Celebration of People Who Inspire Us,” Paris Rosenthal; “10 Hidden Heroes,” Mark K. Shriver; “Follow That Food! (Waffles + Mochi),” Christy Webster