Dear reader,

As I write this, I see snowflakes swirling in the breeze, marking winter’s last-ditch attempt to keep us in its clutches. It’s a tug-ofwar, and while we think we know the outcome—sunshine, green shoots of life in our Wisconsin fields and forests, maybe even temperatures above freezing—we don’t know when these blessed events will happen.

Spring can also come to our inner lives. Now is the time for looking within our hearts and letting acceptance and forgiveness grow, vanquishing the ice-cold fingers of resentment and bitterness that sometimes freeze up our relationships. This is the time to renew old friendships and recharge old relationships. They are worth it—because in the final analysis, friendships, relationships, and love are what give meaning to our lives. I hope this special time that comes but once a year can bring renewal for us all.

Patrick J. Wood

Publisher