Martin Marty writes about the illusory hopes of January thaw in A Cry of Absence: "January thaw: those who must endure the worst of winter have mixed feelings about this moment. They do not dare to settle in to it with security. They fear its deceptive character. . . . For a moment those who enjoy it are tempted to delude themselves: 'The climate in which we live has changed.' The thermometers suggest to residents of the northlands that they might begin to partake of the warmth in which southerners always bask. This year, maybe, the weather will not be so bad! Yet while the pores open to warmth, the head knows what the dates on the calendar insist upon. . . . The spiritual January thaw will not last. Enjoy the warmth and sound it brings, the heart tells itself, but know that this is not a dispelling of winter, only an interruption."
Write in your journal about moments of thaw in your spiritual life. First, describe your situation and/or challenges you face, i.e. your winter. When have you experienced a thaw, and did it last?
— Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat in Practicing Spirituality in Winter