The month of March

 I have been doing some remembering today.   In March 1981, I was living with my in laws in Falls Church, Virginia.   Or at least I was staying there.   We as a family, Nick and Courtney and I, were living in Poznan, Poland.   

When I was seven months pregnant, Courtney and I and my pregnant belly flew to Dulles Airport where we were picked up by my in-laws  Ostensibly we were there for the birth of Morgan.    Nick stayed in Poland.

Morgan was born March 4, 1981.  Nick came "home" to Virginia for Morgan's birth- and for Courtney's third birthday a week before Morgan was born.

I remember, after Nick had gone back, the cherry tree in front of my in-law's house.  Big pink flowers that looked like pink snow blowing in the wind.

In March 1991, our fifth child, Chance was three months old.  We were living Guangzhou, China.  Austin was three, almost four years old.  Austin and Chance and I flew to Dulles Airport and were picked up by friends.  My mother and step-father were also at the airport because they wanted to see the baby.  My mother saw the baby (Chance) in the carrier I had him in and she said she thought he looked gray.   

Chance and I spent several days in the hospital, while a good, dear friend took care of Austin.  I had rented a red car and I remember looking out of the hospital window and seeing snow falling on my red car.

In March 2004, my mother died.   My mother's brother and his wife, and my mother's sister and her husband as well as my sister and I were with my mother when she died.   She was buried in March too, I think.

In March 2014, I had been fretting about turning 60 when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Needless to say, turning 60 was a breeze.  Brain surgery not so much.

In March 2020, I was scheduled for knee replacement surgery  It was the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and I cancelled my surgery.

In March 2021 Nick and I got the first of our Covid vaccines.   

And now it is March 2022.   There is war in Ukraine started by Russia.  The pandemic is not over but somehow we are relaxing about it I guess.  Today I went into the grocery store without a mask (I forgot it) for the first time in two years.

I have two dear friends fighting cancer this year.  It is March 2022.  

Buds are coming out on the trees and bushes.  In the evening I can hear frogs.  In the morning the bird are having a huge concert- or maybe it's a jazz session.  They sound happy to my non- bird ears.