March: A Season of Hope, Green, and Letting Go

March has always felt like a turning point—a slow but certain reminder that winter is loosening its grip and spring is just around the corner and there are many things to look forward to. Soon, flowers will be stretching toward the sun, and the birds outside my office window will be busier than ever, building nests, singing their songs and patiently waiting each morning for their feeders to be filled. As March brings thoughts of green and the Irish traditions I love, I often think of my ancestors who came from Ireland and paved the way for me and my family. My full-Irish great-grandmother died young, leaving behind little children, one being my mom's mom, but her strength and sacrifice live on in us. If not for her, I wouldn’t be here, and neither would my children and grandchildren. Life has a way of carrying us forward on the foundation of those who came before, and I feel a deep gratitude for the resilience and legacy she left behind.

My mom loved her Irish roots and loved to sing, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" and I still have her music box--a girl dressed in a white dress with four-leaf clovers spotting her dress. Mom loved green. Her birthstone is emerald. She loved to find humor in the worst situations-- a gift she gave to me. I miss her every year she's been gone but especially from March until May. Also, one of my six daughters was born in March in the late ‘90s. She was number nine—the last in that phase of my life. While waiting for her arrival, I carried on our tradition of asking friends to guess the birth date, with the winner getting to attend the welcome-home party and choose the pizza we’d have in celebration.

Though she was due in February, one of our closest friends picked March 4th, saying, “It’s the only date that forms a sentence—March forth! She’ll need to be strong and keep moving ahead, being number nine.” I was a few weeks late with her, and he won (he chose ham and pineapple). I also used the first half of his first name and the last half of his girlfriend's first name for this daughter's middle name-- which is a very unique combination. Since the teenage years, this daughter has a habit of drifting in and out of my, and her younger sister's life at will. And while she’s chosen distance for now, I love her deeply anyway. Life is complicated, and relationships can be too. Sometimes, the best love we can offer is quiet space, trusting that in time, things will find their way back to where they’re meant to be. Trusting God, the One Who created her inner most parts. So, this year this month holds a mix of emotions for me and humor is sometimes seems illusive.

I have books to finish, books to market, and research to do and as you know, I tend to write with humor. Despite the challenges pressing me (nothing new!), March still holds a special place in my heart. I love its bright, hopeful green—the color of fresh starts and blessings, and life returning to the world outside my windows. I love the mischievous magic of leprechauns and the little joys that remind me that even in the midst of struggles, there’s always something to celebrate, there is always fun to have somehow, somewhere. And like a little leprechaun there is always humor lurking around the corner, waiting to be found.

So here’s to March. To new beginnings, to patience, to finding beauty, hope and humor in the midst of life’s uncertainties. —because just like the seasons, things have a way of changing when we least expect it and God does have a sense of humor.