As February softly breezes into the past let us find joy in that Spring is marching near. We turn our clocks forward an hour; when Daylight Savings Time rolls in. The one celebration that is foremost in everyone’s mind is St. Patrick’s Day. For me, it’s National Girl Scout Day. As a former Girl Scout and a lover of chocolate mint cookies…I just can’t wait!

There are 346 celebration days this month with sixty-one just today! So you’ll have to travel to the end of the rainbow and pick a coin to see the ones you want to celebrate. We’ll just list a few. This entire month is National Reading Month, National Athletic Training Month, Humorists are Artists Month, International Ideas Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, National Music in Our Schools Month, National Women’s History Month, National Clean up Your IRS Act Month, and National March Into Literacy Month. For the complete list, you’ll have to touch our pot of gold.

For those with a mind for diversity today you can join in the celebration of International Women of Color Day. And we are sure that for you reading intellectuals, the first full week of March is “Read an E-Book Week” and then “Tolkien Reading Day” on March 25th. What e-book will you be reading this month? When it comes to Tolkien What is Your Middle Earth? For the consummate writer, we have National Ghostwriters Week and Small Press Month starting today, World Storytelling Day on March 20th and National Write Your Story Day on March 14th. If you are working hard know that it is recognized today on National Employee Appreciation Day. I’m sure you original gamers will be looking forward to Mario Day on March 10th—I still play that vintage gem every chance I get. One of the greatest video games of all time!

Now on a more somber note. All over this world right now we need a World Day of Prayer, which would be inclusive of a National Day of Unplugging, National Good Samaritan Day, and National Hug a G.I. Day. The month of March also marks the Continental Congress’s ratification of the Articles of Confederation and the founding of the United States Peace Corps. Let us remember American Citizenship Day which helps us to always hold our freedom and democracy in a place of high honor and not in a place of prideful entitlement.

March Trivia: As the saying goes, March comes “in like a lion, out like a lamb.” That was certainly true on March 1st, 2007 when a detachment of 170 Swiss infantrymen accidentally invaded neighboring Liechtenstein when they got lost on a training mission. Luckily, after explaining the mistake to Liechtenstein, the Swiss army was given directions and returned home safely.

This month, may you be continually filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. May you and your family be rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy New Month!