Joy in Family Life — March
Joy in Family Life — March
I am delighted to introduce you to a new feature of “The Joy Life” titled “Joy In Family Life”. In this particular facet of your monthly subscription, I will be offering you interesting and unique ideas to add more joy to your family life.
Some months we will talk about teens while other months we will talk about toddlers. At times I might converse with you about caring for aging parents or about how to cope with the empty nest years. There will also be moments when I discuss marriage, or infertility or homeschooling. As you can already discern, not every month of “Joy In Family Life” might pertain to your particular situation but hopefully you will still be encouraged to cultivate joy within the framework of your unique and wonderful family!
March Madness …or is it March Gladness?!
The month of March, that is squished between the frigid hours of February and the sunny weeks of April, is famous for its kites, for its lengthening days and for hours and hours of basketball!
Basketball … did somebody mention basketball?! How did you know?!
My family has always had an addiction to college basketball. We lived for 16 wonderful years just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, and were absolutely intoxicated with the earthly delight of cheering on those North Carolina teams to victory.
I was the mother of three athletic boys before finally giving birth to two little girls; as the consummate “boy mom”, the basketball rite of March became as familiar and dear to us as the perpetual pounding of orange spheres on our driveway … the vibrant roar of a crowd in our small town basketball gym … and the secret anxiety that filled our minds as we each filled out our brackets.
The media world calls it “March Madness” and the sports world refers to it as “The Big Dance”. For the family McLeod who lived at 816 East Academy Street, it was simply an annual opportunity for family bonding, for cheering on our teams and for experiencing the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory.
We are a family whose hearts race with adrenalin at the very mention of this college basketball competition. When everyone still lived at home, a family bracket was taped to the refrigerator so that we could fill in the winners as the tournament unfolded.
However, the most important aspect of “March Madness” for the mad yet glad family McLeod is that even now, although we are scattered by thousands of miles of geography, each family member fills out their personal family bracket online. One family member is appointed to be the scorekeeper and by the end of the month, we have crowned a new “McLeod Family March Madness Champion”.
In years past, when all of the children were at home, the winner was given the opportunity to choose a restaurant for a family celebration. Now, however, the winner receives a gift card to a restaurant for his or her family.
I am no longer the young, enthusiastic mom of those exciting days and my rambunctious and competitive children have all grown and flown. In this quieter season of life, I have learned to enjoy the games of March with greater temperance and with much less angst. Even as I will be watching the Cinderella teams and the traditional champions on the hardwood, I wonder what teams my boys are cheering for.
You see, a mother’s heart never forgets.
A mother’s heart was made to remember all the traditions, the sayings and the experiences that happened in the house that her little brood called “home”.
The only valid “calendar” holiday during the month of March is St. Patrick’s Day.
Have you ever read the story of this real life saint who evangelized a nation? Your family, whether they are toddlers or teens, will be interested in the life of this extraordinary man who is remembered yet today.
Annually, on March 17, I always served green mashed potatoes for dinner in honor of St. Patrick. My children still talk about that family tradition to this very day!
This season of new birth and joyful expectation is a wonderful opportunity to bask in the wonder of creation as a family.
Spring is an invitation, by our Creator, to be in wonder of all that we have been given to steward as caretakers of the world in which we live.
At least one time during the months of spring, plan a splash party in the refreshing rain! Go barefoot and allow the water to just pour over your souls that have been frozen by winter. Splash through puddles and find little rivulets of rainwater beside the driveway.
Keep a thermometer outside your kitchen window and record the temperature at the same time every day for a month. Your children will begin to realize that perhaps summer really is on its way as they observe the ever-increasing temperatures.
Spring is the perfect time to plant a family garden and to assign each family member a row to take care of as spring gives birth to summer. It is a soul-strengthening activity for each child to be responsible for the growth and eventual flowering or harvesting of a plant. If March is too early to plant a family garden in your region of the country, it is not too early to talk about what you will plant, who will help with the garden and to spend time pouring over vegetables and flowers in a seed catalogue.
During every season of the year, take at least one family hike on the same route and record the differences that you observe in the varying seasons. You can vary this family walk by looking for a specific color on the walk or by pointing out things that are “God-created” or “man-made” on your journey. Small children love to collect things on family walks so give each child a small bag as you leave the house. As he or she collects pretty stones, leaves, acorns or flowers you have suddenly acquired the necessary supplies for a lovely spring centerpiece for the kitchen table.
My favorite type of walk was a “quiet walk” during which you were only allowed to observe what was visible. When we arrived at home, it was time to share all of the beauty that we had seen while our tongues were silent but our eyes were active.
Springtime is also a wonderful opportunity to memorize a Bible verse about the wonder of creation or to teach the family a lovely old hymn such as “This is My Father’s World” or “For the Beauty of the Earth.”
“Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.”