March Onward
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." You might find those words a bit unsettlingly if you hear them on Ash Wednesday, March 6. Or, you might use them as a good reminder to make the most of every second that remains for you on earth. I'm going to be focusing on the latter take this Lent... and as you'll see, I have a great guide to help with that!
On the Nightstand: Memento Mori
"You are going to die." Hard words, indeed. But words we can turn into hope, words that can change our lives. That's what Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP, promises in Remember Your Death: Memento Mori Lenten Devotional. I got a bit of a head start late last year with the related journal, and am excited to begin the devotional. Sister explains the practice of remembering our death has been encouraged for centuries by Christians and non-Christians alike. For Christians, she notes, it's especially rich not only to remember our deaths to live aright today, but also to remember what Christ has done for us. Want to know more about how Sister came to write this book and what she prays it will accomplish? Check out Whitney Hopler's interview with her on my website.
Friends in Faith: Joan Romett
www.lisajuliaphotography.com
Joan Romett is among the giving-est people I know. She gives in many tangible ways, including supplies and food to the Future with Hope Women events we’re both involved in (and a couple of sweet boxes of Washington Capitals swag she and her husband, Dan, gave my sister and me).

But it’s the intangible, deeper ways that Joan gives that really move my soul. For years, she has been dedicated to loving up and caring for her brother who has physical challenges. She makes a life of balancing love and service and faith look easy, even when it’s not. Joan reminds me that service is a gift, not an obligation. (Image credit Lisa Julia Photography)
Miracle Cures and the Stories Behind the Statues
According to my count, 38 women are among the 140 saints depicted on the St. Peter's Basilica Colonnade. (Image credit Livioandronico2013, https://bit.ly/2SkbDRD). I was surprised to find 13 of them are not already in my Sisterhood of Saints Database, so I'll be working on adding them, and on writing this month about some of the more interesting ones.

One of them is Balbina, who died around 130 in Rome. It's said her father, a Roman officer, was guarding the imprisoned Pope Alexander I. The father told the pope he'd convert if Balbina's thyroid growth was cured. I'll be writing a bit more about the miracle in my Wednesday's Woman feature (short profiles of beatified and canonized women).
To-ing and Fro-ing
My new book on finding the Proverbs 31 woman of worth in each of us is nearing publication; I saw interior galleys in late February. It's been a true privilege to work with Twenty-Third Publications on this project.

As for the to-ing and fro-ing:
  • March 2, I'll be attending the Diocese of Arlington's women's conference in Herndon, VA.
  • March 9, I'll be speaking to a group of writers in Finksburg, MD.
  • March 16, I'm among the organizers of the Future with Hope Women Lenten Day of Reflection in Leesburg, VA.
  • March 22-24, I'll be attending the Faithbooking Spiritual Retreat in White Post, VA.
  • March 27-30, I'll be in South Dakota with my sisters and my brother celebrating what would have been Dad's centenary. And does THAT ever make me feel old! The photo shows him as a wisp of a lad on the family ranch.

May your March bring much joy and peace, wherever you roam.

In Christ, Melanie