Oh, March!

I'll admit it---I've always had a love/hate relationship with the month of March.  On one hand, I love March because it includes the first day of spring.  But, on the other hand, I hate March because it usually includes so much wintry weather.  I hate snow in March, but I love March snow because it melts so fast, providing much-needed moisture for sleeping plants.  I hate brown grass, but I love the hint of green that starts to appear in the grass in March.  I hate the bare tree branches, but I love to see the new little green buds swelling on the lilac bushes.  I really hate March wind, but I love soft spring breezes.

I hate looking at the dry, dead landscape in March, but I love to see green shoots erupting into the purples and yellows of crocus and daffodils.  In March, even dandelions are beautiful!  I hate to see my trash-strewn yard at the end of a long, wind-swept winter, but I love the excuse to get outside and pick up other people's trash on a balmy March day.  I hate looking at the frozen pond in my backyard as I wonder if the fish made it through another cold winter, but I love to look at it through my kitchen window when the ice disappears and the fish come to the pond's surface to bask in March's weak sunlight.  I hate looking at the brown pond water, devoid of reeds and water lilies in March, but I love to see fluttering birds and scampering squirrels stop to get a drink.

I love shopping for new spring clothes for the kids and me, but I hate having to wait for warmer days to wear them.  I sometimes hate March in Nebraska, but I must admit that I like it better than March in snow-covered northern Michigan, where the promise of spring seems to be an eternity away, even at the end of March.  I love the fact that many of my friends and relatives have birthdays in March, but I hate living too far away to help them celebrate.  A robust birthday celebration or two would surely improve my outlook during this long month of March.

I love March because its arrival signals the end of winter, but I hate March because early spring often still imitates winter.  I love Lent, which always encompasses a large part of March, drawing me to think of my Savior's loving sacrifice for me.  But I hate March when Easter falls in April, delaying our celebration of Jesus' resurrection.

I love April...

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