Just a few mornings ago, I rolled out of bed and the moment my feet hit the floor, I knew it was time. The furnace had to be turned on for the first time in about four months. I stood before the thermostat in our living room, hesitating for just a moment before flipping the tiny toggle switch and hearing that reassuring hum, knowing that in mere moments I could again enjoy the barefoot comfort that accompanied all of the past 100-plus mornings. For some of my longtime friends, and even some more-recent acquaintances who grew up in areas that are a few degrees different both in latitude and meteorology, my restart of the home heating system surely will make them scoff and request that I turn in my "Yooper Card." Somehow, admitting that summer’s over by warming your home and yourself is some admission of weakness — or for this audience, a lack of sisu. Somehow, choosing to endure an early-morning chill for the sake of saving a few dollars (more likely cents) and being able to pat one’s self on the back for discomfort well tolerated earns the successful shiverer a badge of honor. Thanks, but I’ll choose the heat. There are plenty of other ways to earn a badge of honor, both literally and figuratively. Some honors are international, and bestowed by the Government of Finland upon folks like Beatrice Ojakangas (who you’ll see in this issue) come with the appropriate medals or other insignia. Then there are the distinctions like the "Featured Finn" segment that we recently started publishing in each monthly edition, or the Hankoon Heikki honor that the Copper Country Finns and Friends have selected annually for more than two decades. Some honors come with medals, some come with crowns. There’s even one where the honoree receives a sauna bucket. Those garner attention, and cameras, and deservedly so. When we honor the honorable, they should feel honored. But not all honors come with pomp and circumstance. Some aren’t even readily recognized as honors. Perhaps much like beauty, honor is in the eye of the beholder. I consider it an honor to be one of the keepers of Finnish-American history and culture by producing these publications (now in multiple formats — digital and print) each month. By my count (and please keep in mind I work with words rather than numbers for a reason) this is the 320th issue I’ve had a role in creating. I hope it’s your honor to have a place for your stories to be shared, your photos to be enjoyed, and your legacies to be continued. Few things please me more than guiding — coaxing, in some instances — those folks who have said "I’m no writer" to creating something that lands on our pages and furthers our mission. In the weeks ahead, I’ll have yet another honor. I’ll be compiling and creating a special 40th-anniversary commemorative edition of The Finnish American Reporter. This beloved paper celebrates the big 4-0 this month, and what better way to celebrate than to assemble a collection of four decades of extraordinary stories and images that have appeared on this paper’s pages throughout the decades since that premiere issue back in October 1986. If there’s a story or image that you think should be included in this keepsake edition let me know by email or phone as soon as possible. My intent is to have this special edition on the presses within the next few weeks and ready for purchase by the holiday season — when it will hopefully be put in place of honor someone in your home. — Dave Maki editor