Welcoming February

Dear Diary,

Today is the feast day of St. Brigid, Ireland's other patron saint!  It is also Imbolc which, in the Celtic calendar, is the first day of Spring.  You wouldn't know it here in Maine where we are expecting the third major snow storm in a week tomorrow! It was -15 degrees F. this morning and with the wind picking up the wind chill is around -25!   Still, the days are lengthening and the sun is warming so spring will come...eventually.

Yesterday it was Father Louie (which was Thomas Merton's religious name) and Brother Paul and today it is the fictitious but much loved Brother Cadfael!  I've been re-watching the PBS series of the Ellis Peters novels and each one is a delight.  Br. Cadfael's words of wisdom for February are:

Now, there was no time for anything but living...being glad and grateful and, perhaps, gradually, and with unpracticed pleasure loving.