March Musings

I remember my first grade classroom. Mrs. Fowler was my teacher, and we had a calendar on the wall for the month of March. I remember it had lions and lambs on it, and each day we would put one up depending on the weather. And across the top was the saying, “in like a lion, and out like a lamb.” I’m not sure if I understood that when I was only 6, but it made sense sometime later in life. Of course, growing up in northern Maine I think March came in like a lion and went out like a…well, lion. I don’t think we had “lamb” weather in March that I remember. Spring doesn’t come until April (or May) most of the time up there. That’s why I eventually moved south to sunny New Hampshire. It’s tropical here in comparison. But I still love the “County”, and it will always be home.

March can be a difficult month, and in recent years it has become one of the more snowy months. I wonder if St. Patrick’s Day was added to the calendar in mid-March to help us get through this month. I’m not sure another excuse to drink was needed, but I don’t believe in coincidences either.

I’m fortunate that my daughter was born in March, so we have a good reason to celebrate. I feel a little badly for her because she doesn’t get to have a summertime birthday party at the pool or the beach, but I think she’s spoiled enough already and I’m sure we make up for it.

While March can be tough, there are a few things to look forward to. Spring begins in March (we hope for real), daylight savings time begins so we “spring ahead” and it stays light out a little later. If you like basketball then March Madness is on the way. I’m getting ready to fill out my brackets. And also, did you know that March is Women’s History Month? Have you thought about the women of history that have made a huge difference for humankind, like Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, and Maya Angelou, to name only a few? And what about the women in your life that made an impact, like our mothers, aunts, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters?

I don’t often celebrate these types of months. But this year I’m thinking of those women in my life that have made a difference, like my wife, my mother, my grandmothers, my aunts, and my teachers, like Mrs. Fowler, Mrs. Ivey, Mrs. Floyd, Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Gricus, Mrs. Dunphy, and Mrs. Stewart…yes I had my mother as a teacher. Thank you to the women of my life who made an impact, hopefully your efforts were not wasted. Maybe this month we can think of and thank the women in our lives who helped us become who we are today.

“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary.”

- Mother Teresa