Seems like it was only but a few days ago we were celebrating Christmas, ushering in the New Year and gearing up for the end of the football season. Yet here we are tonight welcoming the month of March and the season of great transition. March marks the end of the "feel good" months that start down here in October and may or may not stay with us through this 3rd month of the New Year. We hear of meterologists calling March the start of climatoligical "spring". This year, unfortunately, we missed out on a great majority of "feel good". The winter never seemed to make it's presence known to us in southeast Louisiana. We experienced not one hard freeze and set numerous record high temperatures over the past few months. As I write this today, March 1st, we hit a high of 83 and we expect a low tonight of 68. The early spring has many things bloomimg and budding and it also has the grass growing. I spent part of my Mardi Gras day, about a week ago, cutting grass. Usually when I announce that I am cutting grass it is the start of about 8 months of firing up the John Deere green.
March is a month where we spring forward; that horrific weekend when we lose an hour of sleep and daylight remains with us long into the evening. Basketball hits full stride, especially at the college level, and we in the New Orleans area will be bracing for the fanatics of the Final Four. March also brings the start of the baseball season as well, a season that will not end until the chill of autumn descends. We have the great political season that in March results in Super Tuesday. I don't think anything too super is going to come of this political season. March is the month of my birth, and that of my first-born son, and that of my mom, if she were still with us.
March 2012 brings the meat(no pun intended) of the Lenten season in the life of the Church. There will be plenty of Lenten missions, Stations of the Cross, Friday evening fish fry dinners and the continuing devotions all intended to dispose us properly before the great celebration of Easter. Ministry will be full and the Deacon will be busy.
As we start a new month I am personally forced to contemplate change. Looking back to recent weeks I remain somewhat wounded by professional setbacks and profound disappointments. These events cause such a roller coaster of mixed emotions as I experience great joy at almost all aspects of my life and great sadness at what I truly believe to be the beginning of the end of a great career. Yet in my day to day approach at that which challenges me, I remain resolute and determined, prayerfully doing what I can and hopeful that I will understand God's plan in this challenge. And I remain thankful that this cross I bear pales in comparison to the many trials and tribulations so many others endure.
Each and every day for the 31 days of March I will post of the happenings in the Catholic Church, the ministries entrusted to me and the day to day occurences in this springtime month of March. As in all things, may we see God's plan at work in us and His holy hand gently guiding us through the uncertainties of our daily existence.
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