Hi there! I'm planning to garden this spring after a year's hiatus (which just about coincides with the last time I did an e-letter), this time with a spiffy new and improved plant stand. When I gardened in 2021, I couldn't find onion sets anywhere. So this year, I ordered early, and they came the other day. I'm loving the mix of red, white, and yellow. Two varieties of tomatoes and some peppers and herbs are also in my plans.

I didn't garden last spring, or do much of anything other than the Day Job. But when the calendar turned to 2023, I did some self-assessment. On January 1, I was fatter than I'd ever been in my life, and decided while I couldn't do much about my age, I could do something about my weight. So, thanks to Weight Watchers and a commitment to myself to work out twice a week, I've lost 35 pounds (40 to go). I rededicated myself to a parish women's Bible study. And guess what, no surprise: I sleep better. I feel better.

I also signed a contract for a new book, a Bible study on New Testament women, that will be out next January. I'll keep you posted on that. And as long as I was making commitments, after some financial analysis, I will be leaving the Federal service on November 30. I've worked with some great people the past 19 years, but it's time for that chapter to close.

So, big changes coming for me, and I'd appreciate your prayers. But right now, I'm most excited about getting my hands in the dirt again in a few weeks!

On the Nightstand: The Handy Little Guide: Liturgy of the Hours

by Barb Szyszkiewicz

Back in the fall of 2019, I bought the 2,000-page Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours, with every intention of adopting the practice of stopping to pray five times a day (also known as the Divine Office) in 2020. I was just starting to get into this beautiful habit and then, well, covid. And I let the Divine Office go in favor of other prayers and readings that didn't require a specific schedule. I'm embarrassed to say I let the world rather than God rule when I prayed.

But I want to recommit to the Divine Office, and I'm delighted my friend Barb Szyszkiewicz wrote this lovely new guide to help me get back on track. Barb's a lay Franciscan ("held together by the grace of God, coffee, and crazy glue," she says), and you may recognize her name because she's also the editor of CatholicMom.com.

And speaking of the Liturgy of the Hours, that will be the topic of a Future with Hope Women retreat May 5-7 at the Holy Cross Abbey Retreat House in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. While I'm there, I'll be picking out and paying for my spot in the associated natural cemetery. I'm not planning on using it anytime soon, but a recent death has impressed upon me the need to get my affairs in order so as to make things easier for those I leave behind.

On April 16, I'll be talking about the women doctors (teachers--Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, and Hildegard of Bingen) and what we can learn from them today to the St. Lawrence Council of Catholic Women in Alexandria, VA.

On April 23, I'll be chatting with my dear friend Rose Folsom's Virtue Connection virtual gathering about Proverbs' Woman of Worth, based on my book of the same title.

On August 24-26, I'll be exhibiting at the National Council of Catholic Women's convention in Salt Lake City, UT.

Finally, if I get accepted, I'll be exhibiting November 10-12 at the Northern Virginia Christmas Market in Chantilly, VA. If you've ever been, please let me know your experience--it looks awesome!

As Holy Week begins and we contemplate the Lord's loving sacrifice, I'm praying for your private intentions. Please let me know if you have a particular intention I should add to the prayer cup.