Making March Happy

Even before we hit the first of March, I knew the first few days of the month would be difficult ones. My not-so-little-anymore brother left yesterday for Basic training in the Air Force. There’s a Lemony Snicket quote that goes, “It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice-cream sandwiches.” This is no simple errand for ice cream sandwiches; he’s signed up for the next four years and after today, I don’t know when he’ll be home again. I’m not even 100% sure when I’ll see him again (I’m hoping to attend his graduation at the end of Basic, but that’s still in the planning stage).

So, March is already off to a rather difficult start. It was hard to watch my younger siblings hug him goodbye one last time Monday night. And it was hard to hug him goodbye one last time at the recruiting center after watching a leiutenant swear him into the Air Force.

March 1, 2 and 3rd have been rough. A bit teary, even. But the happiness? The happiness is my family. We’re not perfect, we’re prone to drama and we don’t always get along. But we’re a tight-knit group and love each other fiercely. Sure, if we didn’t love each other, if we weren’t so closely bound, the sadness of saying goodbyes wouldn’t be so sad. But on the other hand, we wouldn’t share in the joy and the love that comes with the sadness, either.

This is part of the Making March Happy project on Krista's blog Between the Stacks. Click over to see more posts on Making March Happy.

- Written March 3rd, 2010