On Saturday March 27, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, the state of Massachusetts will be a participant in the second annual Earth Hour. The state will turn off all its own lights except those necessary for public safety. The city of Boston will do the same, as well as numerous colleges and other institutions. Individuals from all over the world will also be turning off their lights for an hour.

Last year was the first Earth Hour, with 4100 cities in 88 countries participating. In the US, 80 million American individuals and families joined in. The Earth Hour website shows some of the candlelight gatherings around the world and around living rooms and dining tables where people acknowledged their caring about the Earth and shared it with others.

Imagine such gatherings this year, in homes, in houses of worship, maybe slightly orchestrated by someone who cares, with people going around a circle saying what the earth means to them personally. Think about it. Who would you like to be with for a solemn, joyful hour, appreciating this wondrous planet?