From The Innkeepers

March 2022 Blog
The Many Faces of March

This month impresses me as 31 days in search of an identity. Perhaps because it is a month on the cusp of two seasons, it seems like some days March is in the midst of an identity crisis with its one foot sometimes still firmly planted in winter, while the other foot it is attempting the giant leap into the season of spring. On top of that there are a lot of celebrations and special days within this month of which I will touch on just a few.

This year on March 1 we have what some cultures call Mardi Gras but what my Polish ancestors call Paczki Day. I have fond remembrances as a child of my aunts and grandmother gathering in our basement and making these delectable treats. They’d set up an assembly line at the end of which I along my siblings and cousins would wait with a giant bag of powdered sugar in which to shake the paczki. Their next stop was into our mouths for that luscious first bite of warm dough infused with raspberry jam and coated in the powdered sugar. Yum.

The happiness of that day though quickly disappeared as it is immediately followed by Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent in the Christian tradition. It was very hard especially as a young person to go from a day filled with one of the joys of life, to being reminded about death…”remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.” Back then, the only person that I knew in my family that died was my paternal grandfather who lived with us. All I understood of death was that he was gone, that I missed him tremendously, and that no number of trips to the cemetery filled the void of his absence. As an adult however realizing that we live in a “death denying” culture, I always felt that Ash Wednesday and the subsequent season of Lent was a good reminder to shake us out of the living of our lives as if we were going to be here forever. The Inn at the Rustic Gate is located down the street from our local township cemetery. I actually like having it be so close to us. We can’t avoid that reminder of death as we physically pass by it several times a week. It helps undo the dominant culture of death avoidance. The inability to confront death, our living as if we had all the time in the world, often contributes to our missing the meaning of life. It is only in realizing the fleeting nature of our existence that we can in fact be compelled to make sure that the life we have is well lived, whatever we perceive that to be for ourselves.

Moving on from various Lenten traditions, on the 16th of March this year we have the celebration of the feast of Purim in the Jewish tradition. It is an occasion to celebrate the steadfastness and survival of the Jewish people against a tyrannical Persian emperor named Haman in the 5th century BC. His evil plot to destroy the Jewish people was upended by Esther. One of the ways that the Purim festival is celebrated in modern times is by the making of hamantaschen a triangular pastry fill with various things such as poppy seeds and fruit jams. As a college student in Detroit in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s I had a part time job taking care of the children of a local rabbi. For me it was a time of learning about and gaining respect for Jewish history and culture. In my recollection, the festival of Purim also had a social justice side in that the hamantaschen were not only made for one’s immediate family. Baskets of this and other foods were gathered and shared with people in need. Those of us who are not of the Jewish tradition learn an important lesson from this holiday: for as long as we survive we can share out of the goodness and the bounty that has come to us. Because food insecurity is an ongoing issue in our society, there are probably many organizations in your area that can help you assist those in need of the basic sustenance.

On March 17th each year we participate in the revelry known as St. Patrick’s Day. It is a time to celebrate all things Irish. Whether you wear green, eat corned beef and cabbage, sing an Irish song, march in a parade, or raise a pint at the local pub, it is time to be grateful that the Irish made it to our shores and took root here in America. No matter how you do it, this day is for honoring the Irish and the soil from which they sprang.

Not to be outdone by the Irish, in our Polish household, two days later on March 19th St. Joseph’s Day was celebrated. As best as I could figure out it represented a chance for our folks to have a break from the season of Lent, and for those old enough to visit the corner bar and raise a glass. We had a respite from denial and the somber mood of Lent, to once again celebrate who we are as a people.

Lastly then, on the 20th of March we celebrate the beginning of the season of Spring. This is my personal favorite of all the faces that the month of March wears. I can feel it in my bones the closer it gets. The anticipation of the first crocus breaking through previous frozen ground. The itch to get my fingers into the soil, the yearning for the warmer sun and longer days. All this unfolding seeps into my body and allows me a huge sigh of relief. At last, I say, what took you so long to wake up my soul?

So, there is not just one thing happening in this month of March- it has no one single focus. Any or all of it may resonate with you. No matter which days this month have particular meaning for you, embrace them. If none of it resonates with you, then choose one of your own and create your own meaning and traditions. I’m sure March won’t mind putting on yet another face just for you.

Be well, be safe, be generous, be happy.
Marcia, Pat, and Sharon
Keepers of the Rustic Gate