In Like a Lion

The bulletin board in my Kindergarten classroom was covered in green paper on the first day of March. Clovers and leprechauns with cheery faces digging through pots of gold at the end of a rainbow bordered the words that read, "MARCH- It comes in like a lion and out like a lamb."

Being in Kindergarten, I could hardly read the words, let alone understand what they meant. We shared the classroom of my country school with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders so sometimes our decorations were a little "above" the two of us in the Kindergarten class. I remember Mrs. Buessing taking us over to the board and talking to us about the month of March. She had put these words there as a metaphor for what the weather is usually like during the month. "March usually starts out cold, snowy and windy. Kind of like a lion's roar, it comes in scary and strong" My favorite grade school teacher explained, "But when March comes to end, spring time begins and we hope that the weather turns gentle and warm like a soft baby lamb would be." Though Nebraska weather is a kind of mystery and did not always follow Mrs. Buessing's bulletin board statement, I always hear her say it in my head when the month begins.

This March 1st holds true to the metaphor, racing in like a lion but hopefully going out like a lamb. February was one of the worst months in Hardman Car Company history. Full of stress, low customer numbers, and even more bad news in the automotive industry. Sonny has worked hard, long hours that have not gone unnoticed by his family. As a wife I've tried to make it more bearable but sometimes feel sad that I can't help even more.

Last night, as our weekend closed, Sonny said, with as much positive vibe he could muster, "March 1st..." Instead of his prior first of month positive statements of "It's going to be a good month!" he just recognized it is a new month.

It always helps to put rough times behind us (the month of February) and see the new month as a potential new beginning. Even though it is a month roaring in with scariness and fury, there is a small hope instilled by a country school teacher that it will calm and hopefully end quietly, softly and lamb like.