Plumerix Chronicles

Where Hearts Go to Heal

February has always been a month that holds more meaning than the calendar implies. On the surface, it’s about hearts, chocolates, pink ribbons, and love. But I’ve learned, through years of loving this Society, that February is actually about courage. The “heart” is the strongest muscle in the body not just physically, but symbolically and this month, we honor the ways our hearts fight every single day.

And not all battles are loud.

Some of the fiercest fights I’ve ever witnessed happened quietly in hospital waiting rooms, in whispered late-night phone calls, in handwritten notes tucked into birthday cards, in the way a woman carries herself when life has asked far more of her than she expected. The Red Hat Society is filled with women who have carried heartbreak, loss, illness, and exhaustion…and still show up to brunch wearing feathers and sequins, still crack jokes, still choose joy.

That is the kind of heart we’re celebrating this month. A fighting heart. A sisterhood heart. A Red Hatter heart.

I’ve heard many stories of courage similary to this one, upon arriving early for an event, a woman walked in alone. Her hat was perfectly placed, her smile carefully practiced. Moments later, another member rushed over, grabbed her hands, and said, “I’m so glad you’re here I know this week was hard.” The woman’s eyes filled, her shoulders softened, and she whispered, “I almost didn’t come.”

But she did.

Because she knew one thing: Sisterhood is where hearts go to heal.

That is what February means to me.

In my travels, I see fighting hearts everywhere. The widow who joins a chapter because she refuses to spend another holiday alone. The grandmother raising her grandchild, finding her only hour of laughter at a luncheon. The woman recovering from cancer—hair growing back in little curls walking proudly in her red and purple. The caregiver who has spent years putting everyone else first, but shows up to a chapter meeting because she finally said, “I need something for me.”

These are not small victories. These are revolutions.

And in this historic year when the United States nation celebrates 250 years of independence and we celebrate 28 years of our own joyful rebellion, February reminds us that revolution is often a matter of heart. Of choosing to rise again. Of choosing to love again. Of choosing connection instead of isolation.

This year, as you gather with your chapters, I hope you take a moment to notice the quiet fighters in the room. The ones who show up even when life feels heavy. The ones who bring laughter even when their hearts ache. The ones who make the choice, over and over again, to live boldly.

Because being a Red Hatter isn’t about escaping life it’s about meeting life with color, courage, and compassion.

And sometimes, fighting heart means standing up for yourself, too. Setting boundaries. Discovering your voice. Learning to say “no” when you need rest, and “yes” when joy calls your name. The founding heartbeat of this Society was built on refusing to be invisible and February asks each of us to remember that our hearts deserve attention, too.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’”

In the Red Hat Society, we honor both kinds. The roaring triumphs and the whispered efforts. The big wins and the private victories. The sisters who light up the room and the sisters who need the room to light them up for a while.

So this month, I invite you to:

Reach out to someone who has been on your mind Honor the courage in yourself Celebrate the strength it takes to keep choosing joy Remember that no heart fights alone in this Society.

Whether your “fight” this month is physical, emotional, spiritual, or simply the battle against winter blues know that you are surrounded by an army of women who rally, uplift, and step in.

Our hearts were made to fight for joy. And February is the perfect month to do it together.

With love,

Michelle Lee, Queen Plumerix President of the Red Hat Society We are Stronger Together