Staying Warm
Greetings, everyone! One of my grandmothers grew up near the little town of Saxon, Wisconsin, which sits right against Lake Superior. Especially in the summer, I have dreams of retiring, as they say, "Up North." Then I see that the area's already had more than 90 inches of snow this season, vs. less than a foot here in northern Virginia, and I think again!

Whether or not you live in a snowy climate, this is such a beautiful time of year. The days are getting longer and there's something special about a February sunrise. Check one out and see!
Friends in Faith: Patricia Lorenz
Cheesehead hat. Goofy fake teeth. Practical jokes. Humor that can make you laugh till you cry. Those are words that many people would describe Patricia Lorenz, the longtime Daily Guideposts writer, one of the top Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors, and author of 14 books with titles like Grab the Extinguisher, My Birthday Cake’s on Fire and Life’s Too Short to Fold Your Underwear. The past few months I’ve seen a different side of Pat than I’ve seen before in our nearly twenty years of friendship. Her husband of six years, Jack, is gravely ill with cancer. And while Pat’s humor is still evident, her strength and faith that God is holding her and Jack in the palm of His hand show through in every Facebook update. Caregiving for someone we love can be so draining, so challenging. I know Pat has those moments… but mostly, she stays positive and faith-filled, because she knows that’s what Jack needs right now.
St. Humbeline: Family Devotion
I've been a fan of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Doctor (teacher) of the Catholic Church for some time, in part because of his emphasis on the importance of scripture contemplation and immersing oneself into the word. But I didn't know until recently that he had a sister, Humbeline, who's also regarded as a saint. (In the image to the left, that's Bernard and Humbeline at the bottom of the center panel.)

Humbeline was born in France around 1092 and was about a year younger than Bernard. They were always close. Humbeline's mother died when the girl was eighteen or so, and all six of her brothers and her father became monks. That left the family's wealth to Humbeline, who proceeded to marry well... but then felt something was missing. After a few years, she and her husband agreed it made sense for Humbeline to enter religious life herself. She became a Benedictine nun, and eventually the superior of her convent. Three of her brothers, including Bernard, were with her when she died around 1141.

I'll be writing a bit more about Humbeline in my Wednesday's Woman feature (short profiles of beatified and canonized women).
On the Nightstand: Miles from Where We Started
I'm really excited about the book I'm going to be reading for March, when Lent begins. But what to read this month? Then I had lunch with a dear friend I don't see too often. We talked about what we were reading, and I was embarrassed and surprised to realize it's been a long time since I read any new fiction!

As a result, I've selected for my February reading Cynthia Ruchti's Miles from Where We Started, a novel about a year-old marriage that isn't where the wife or the husband expected it to be. Ruchti's won a number of awards for her 20-plus books, and I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with her work.
Word Winner and What's Ahead
Congrats to Julie M. of Philippi, WV, for being the randomly selected winner of last month's word of 2019 drawing! Julie's word is Kindness, and she selected The Book of Joy as her resource.

For me, February will be all about writing. I finished revisions last month on a book that will be published in the spring (more on that next month, I hope), and I have another big project that may come to pass. I'll be out and about most of March, so looking forward to some hunkering down and staying in time this month.

In Christ, Melanie