Motivation 2020: Heart to Heart
“The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love.” Henry Miller
Motivation 2020: Heart to Heart
History of the Holidays: History of Valentines Day | History
Swae Lee – Won’t Be Late ft. Drake (Lyric Video)
VALENTINE’S DAY: Happy Valentine’s Day! What do you know about Valentine’s Day? One thing I love about February is that it pulls together several subjects that are dear to so many hearts. It’s Heart Health Month, Black History Month, Lovers Month and, also, Presidents Day falls on the same month reminding us that democracy and freedom of the press are paramount to the survival of global peace. On February 14th, in many countries around the world, lovers give each other gifts, cards and delicious treats in celebration of the love they share. According to historical sources, this popular love-fest is held in remembrance of possibly three (3) martyred Saints named Valentine; a priest, a bishop, and a Christian missionary in Africa. In some circles, it is believed that the special day was created by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. Yet, other accounts suggest Valentine’s Day is truly an observance of Lupercalia; an ancient rite of fertility and that any ties to the aforementioned saints are merely coincidental.
Some believe the tradition grew from the days of Claudius I and the sacrifice young men made in leaving for war instead of staying home to raise a family; the celebration honored a wish those left behind had for the safe return of their loved one. The wistful sentiments that arise on this day prevail as lovers return to share a gift or a special moment and memory with their beloved. How you choose to spend this day is entirely up to you. Yes, love ought to be an everyday affair but, take a moment to let your loved ones know you care by giving them an extra bit of attention. Please, don’t forget to indulge yourself a bit too. Self-care and loving others go hand in hand… Enjoy the life you have and LIVE! Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Valentine’s Day! ENJOY THE MUSIC! 😉
A Valentine – Poem by James Russell Lowell
Let others wonder what fair face
Upon their path shall shine,
And, fancying half, half hoping, trace
Some maiden shape of tenderest grace
To be their Valentine.
Let other hearts with tremor sweet
One secret wish enshrine
That Fate may lead their happy feet
Fair Julia in the lane to meet
To be their Valentine.
But I, far happier, am secure;
I know the eyes benign,
The face more beautiful and pure
Than fancy’s fairest portraiture
That mark my Valentine.
More than when first I singled, thee,
This only prayer is mine,-
That, in the years I yet shall see.
As, darling, in the past, thou’ll be
My happy Valentine.
James Russell Lowell via Poemhunter
The Gardener By Mary Oliver
Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusion?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?
I say this, or perhaps I’m just thinking it.
Actually, I probably think too much.
Then I step out into the garden,
where the gardener, who is said to be a simple man,
is tending his children, the roses. via thenaturewithinus
READ: Motivation Mondays: Beyond Valentine’s Day
Motivation Mondays: LOVE Is… #HappyValentinesDay
Motivation Mondays: Valentine’s Day Tips
Motivation Mondays: Happy Valentine’s Day
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Motivation 2020: Heart to Heart
This Is Black History Month – The Untold Truth
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: For those who don’t know why we celebrate this very important holiday, it is a time when black folks and all who appreciate BHM join forces to celebrate the history, culture, and rich heritage of this great community and people of diverse backgrounds; black history is celebrated here in the USA, in the diaspora, and globally. As early as 1919, Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland started an organization dedicated to documenting the achievements of African Americans. By 1926, they created a Negro History week to complement the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The Civil Rights Movement propelled the idea even further and by 1976, President Gerald Ford declared February an official month honoring the History of Black people in the USA. When I think about the Civil Rights Movement, I remember the tremendous strides black folks have made. I remember the many supporters who joined hands to win freedoms and rights for all in this great nation.
As we delve deeply into Black History Month, It is worth contemplating what this month means to us. Why is it important to celebrate your history and culture? Why is it important to celebrate mine? Same reason – so we can learn, grown and share our legacy with our children and loved ones! This is a terrific time to revisit some very important and helpful information that we could all use.
Still, I Rise – Poem by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still, I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Maya Angelou via Poemhunter
READ: Motivation Mondays: Heart & History Matter
Motivation Mondays: Black History Month
Black History Month: Eunique Jones Divine Transformations – Kids As Historic Icons
“In February there is everything to hope for and nothing to regret.” Patience Strong
Motivation 2020: Heart to Heart
American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown Discusses Ideal Health and 2020 Goal
Justin Bieber – Yummy Just because… I love YUMMY 😉
Heart Health Month: Happy Heart Health Month! As you might already know, our health is our wealth. Without good health, our quality of life is diminished and getting adequate care could simply bankrupt so many of us. Staying healthy, especially heart-healthy, requires changes in our lifestyle, proper diet, exercise, and less stress. Another important factor is to make sure to get regular checkups. As a survivor, I would be remiss if I don’t mention that since some of us are born with congenital heart conditions, getting regular checkups could save a life. I was in great shape, had a comfortable lifestyle, ate healthy natural foods and almost died from heart failure. I was born with an undiagnosed condition and my doctors told me that my healthy lifestyle helped keep me alive but… I still needed check-ups, a diagnosis, and open-heart surgery to survive. Take your health and checkups seriously.
Additionally, get a second opinion if you receive a health diagnosis that gives you pause. Unless we stay actively involved in advocating for our own health and the health of loved ones, we run the risk of not getting the full picture of treatments and key evaluations of our condition. Fundamental to all the advice we see and read during this special Heart Heath Month, getting fit is imperative. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), there are many reasons why getting fit and maintaining a healthy level of activity is imperative. Why is physical activity so important for health and well-being? Physical activity helps us stay motivated to achieve our personal and professional goals. It can lift our mood, help us stay mentally/physically fit and keep the doctor at bay with reduced incidences of ill health. What does being active do for us? AHA has given us 5 solid reasons to be active:
- lower your blood pressure
- boost your levels of good cholesterol
- improve blood flow (circulation)
- keep your weight under control
- prevent bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis
It doesn’t take much to figure out why, every year, the most important theme for Heart Health month is staying fit.
Richard Siegel – A Poem About Heart Disease
What will be in my next 50 years of life
I sure don’t know but I got
The chance cause this little
Incision of the knife
So thank you loved ones you know
Who you are
I’m just a funny guy maybe a little bizarre
Who wants to bring
Joy to everyone I’ve found
Making the world a better place giving it a peaceful loving sound
I have a new chance and though I have to heal
A few months of a long
Life is not a big deal
But I will continue to take each seed of love and let it grow
And bring that with me everywhere I go.
Richard Siegel via heart.org
Heart Attack – Poem by Gert Strydom
What a strange and terrible thing
that brings terror to a person,
where you cannot breathe,
while such an odd feel and nausea do remain,
the left side right through the chest and heart does pain,
when that pain does not disappear in the chest, back, and arm
in a moment my whole life turns around before me
and when the world goes back to its normal way
I am afraid that I will lose you so suddenly,
wherein me only remains a hell of powerlessness,
where I know that I am not finished with my poems,
where I am searching for more intense light as darkness is coming
and I am strong, fit, have got low cholesterol
of the thing that is life I am full
but by mere blood pressure, this thing hits me
with which everything just like this can come to an end,
where I wonder about everything, about which life is,
over the days of my own existence,
where you and the things of my life do become lovelier
and in joy, I know that God does pour out his mercy over me.
© Gert Strydom via PoemHunter
READ: My troublesome but Amazing Life.
Richard Siegel – A Poem About Heart Disease
American Heart Month: February is American Heart Month
Heart Health: #WomensLives & Go Red For Women
Heart Matters: 7 Heart Healthy Tips
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for JAN – FEB 2020 are:
JAN
01/01 – 01 HAPPY NEW YEAR!,
01/05 – 05 Golden Globes Awards, 06 Epiphany, 11 Human Trafficking Awareness Day,
01/12 – 12 Critics Choice Awards, 14 Orthodox New Year, 16 Religious Freedom Day, 18 PGA Awards, Winnie the Pooh Day
01/19 – 20
01/29 – 30 TBD
FEB
02/01 – 01 World Read Aloud Day
02/02 – 02 Ground Hog Day, 04 World Cancer Day, 06 Zero Tolerance for FGM, 07 National Wear Red Day
02/09 – 09 Academy Awards, 11 Women and Girls in Science Day, 13 Galentine’s Day, 14 Valentine’s Day
02/16 – 17 Presidents Day, 18 Drink Wine Day, 20 World Day of Social Justice
02/23 – 25 Mardi Gras, 26 Ash Wednesday
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2019?
- Join Our Blog Support & Engagement Group
- Check out the Daily Post for Inspiration. Resources. Idea
- Checkout Your Daily Word Prompts
- Check out SheKnows for SheKnows Living
MORE BELOW
“The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.” William Cullen Bryant
Motivation 2020: Heart to Heart
Presidents’ Day Facts For Kids
PRESIDENTS’ DAY: What does this special day mean to you? For those of us who live in democratic nations, it is easy to take our advantages for granted and dismiss our rights and responsibilities as citizens. Living in a country where you have the right to vote is a great privilege and should not be wasted. So, when we think about Presidents’ day and all that comes with that leadership role, we must exercise our rights to ensure that we are heard and that our offspring will benefit from decisions made by our elected officials. In America, we celebrate all of our presidents because, in some way, they have all contributed something to this nation. Their decisions have impacted our lives and we must protect our rights by staying informed and involved in the process.
If you are wondering about the origins of this special federal holiday and why it is called Presidents Day, I’m here to help you with a brief history. First of all, it was a special day to honor the birthday of our first president – George Washington Over time, it evolved to become a celebration in honor of two of America’s greatest Presidents; George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In 1968, the 90th Congress voted to shift three federal holidays, including George Washington’s Birthday to the 3rd Monday of February. This move led to the creation of a new holiday – Presidents’ Day. Today, instead of celebrating the lives of two presidents, we honor and celebrate all of them. Stay informed and engaged. Knowledge is power.
Let America Be America Again – Poem by Langston Hughes
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed–
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek–
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean–
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today–O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home–
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,
And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came
To build a “homeland of the free.”
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay–
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.
O, let America be America again–
The land that never has been yet–
And yet must be–the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine–the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME–
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose–
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath–
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain–
All, all the stretch of these great green states–
And make America again!
Langston Hughes via Poemhunter
I’m Not Just February – by Annette Wynne
I’m not just February
With winds that blow
All day, and piled-up snow;
I’m Washington and Lincoln, too,
Who kept our country’s flag for you!
I’m Valentine of airy grace—
With golden hearts and hearts of lace
And pretty cards that people send,
Quite as a secret, to a friend.
Though I am short of days and small,
I’m quite a big month, after all!
Annette Wynne via discoverpoetry
READ: Motivation Mondays: 45 Inspiring Quotes from U.S. Presidents
Motivation Mondays: Honoring Presidents’ Day
Motivation Mondays: Self-Care
Any Zen Antics stories via 
Positive Motivation Tip: The heart is our most precious muscular organ. Nurture, Protect, and Love it.
Motivation Mondays series is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.
Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM
Related Posts
- Motivation Mondays: Silence Is Betrayal – #MLKDAY (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation 2020: HAPPY NEW YEAR (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: DECEMBER WISHES (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: GIVING THANKS (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: GirlForce: Unscripted & Unstoppable #dayofthegirl (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: The Power of Storytelling (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: The Golden Rule (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: 100 July 4th Quotes – Independence Day (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: RESPITE (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: 21 Inspiring Yoga Quotes & Poems #YogaDay2019 (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: For Our Fathers #fathersday (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Tips For June (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Remember & Honor #MemorialDay (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Down Memory Lane (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: SELF-CARE (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: For Our Mothers #mothersday (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Peace with Our Past(mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: PROTECT OUR EARTH (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: RESURRECTION (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Live Your Wild and Precious Life (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: The Seven Selves (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Day of Happiness & Spring #internationaldayofhappiness(mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: St Patrick’s Day Facts & Quotes (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: International Women’s Day – #IWD2019 #BalanceforBetter #InnovateForChange ((mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: BLACK HISTORY MONTH (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: 45 Inspiring Quotes from U.S. Presidents (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: LOVE Is… #HappyValentinesDay (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Lunar New Year #YearOfThePig (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: SELF-CONTROL(mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Reflections on #MLKDay(mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Power of Gratitude (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Keep It Simple (mirthandmotivation)
- Motivation Mondays: Ending & Beginning #HappyNewYear2019 (mirthandmotivation)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos – via Pixabay, WIKIPEDIA
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Trackbacks
- 🦅 SoundEagle in Love and Dove, Art and Heart on Valentine’s Day with Gifts 🎁💝🕊💌💘 | SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ
- Motivation Mondays: International Women’s Day #GenerationEquality #EachforEqual | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation Mondays: Thoughts & Tips on #COVID-19 | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation 2020: Easter & Passover | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation 2020: Mental Health Awareness Month & Memorial Day | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation 2020: May Peace, Love & Justice Prevail #blackoutday | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation 2020: On Father’s Day #FathersDay | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation 2020: 20 Famous July 4th Poems To Remember #IndependenceDay | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation 2020: Nelson Mandela Day #MandelaQuotes #MandelaDay | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation Mondays: International Day of Peace & World Gratitude Day | Mirth and Motivation
- MOTIVATION 2020: 33 GRATITUDE TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS! | Mirth and Motivation
This was a fun read since it’s Valentine’s Day today! thanks for the fun blog.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your feedback. Happy Valentine’s Day! 🙂
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays to craft with my kids. They get so into the hearts and flowers. I love seeing their creativity!
I’ve always thought Valentine’s Day is a very Hallmark-y holiday. So interesting to read about the history behind it.
How and What are you celebrating this month? Remember to love someone today. It’s never too late. Have you?
Great article. I learned something new from your post. Thank you so much for sharing it.
February is always a busy month for my family. There’s Valentine’s Day which means school parties for both kids and usually at least one Cub Scout event. This year two of our biggest events are in February. Plus, my birthday was last weekend and my nephew’s is today. Then my youngest son’s is in March so we usually start planning for his party in February! We have a lot to celebrate here!!
Happy belated birthday to you and your nephew. 😉 🙂 I love February because it speaks to me in so many ways. 🙂
Love is for all. I love your poem collection. I am always fascinated with poems. Although I don’t do much Valentine, but I believe in love.
As usual, beautiful post, very authentic and real! Thank you so much, happy Valentine’s Day.
This is a very diversified blog post. One of the most unique blog posts I have read in a while. Thank you so much for sharing.
You have some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day. I’ve always known as Valentine’s Day, like the day of love and friendship. That’s the way it is known in Latin America and the Caribbean. So we celebrate it not only with our partners but with our families and friends.
That makes a lot of sense because love is not just for lovers but for all.
I never really considered that these all fall in the same month. We don’t do much for Valentine’s Day and never have. Last night my husband and I were setting up for the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby that’s being held today. That was our romantic night! I do remember learning a lot about Black History when I was in school.
Yes, it is quite a hectic month with tons going on. 🙂
I love the way you juxtaposed matters of the heart figuratively and physiologically!
You write beautifully..
Goz xx
Thank you Sis, what a nice surprise to have you visit. I’m glad you observed the way I wove in other February celebrations. 🙂
I love the Maya Angelou poem. It’s one of my favorites. I think Black History month is super important and it’s great all the things you’ve shared.
I didn’t know it was presidents day this month. Definitely learned a few things there.
Such an informative article! You covered so much! Thank you for all these good tidbits
Wow I never knew that this month have all of these to celebrate and appreciate one another. Hope you had a nice day!
February is my favorite month because it is the month to celebrate love and my anniversary. Also, it’s a bonus that it is Black History month and Heart Health Month too.
I love the Mary Oliver poem… so touching.
In my country, love is celebrated on the 24th of February, not on the 14th. I think that Valentine’s Day should be about love in general, not just about couples. It can be about self love, it can be about friendships. A lot of single people get really down on the 14th of February.
Thanks for the awesome heart reading!
There so much to celebrate in February! I’m looking forward to all of it.
Awww I love this! Such a great Valentines post. I really try to show love all the time not just Valentines
Yeah! I celebrating this Feb = love month by doing something to pampering myself daily, we have to love ourself 1st before loving others 🙂
A lot of happenings all in one month, all I know is valentines origins had nothing to do with chocolates and flowers 😅
Dear Ms Elizabeth Obih-Frank,
How have you been?
You have provided us with an excellent post with diverse and related contents on St Valentine’s Day to include Heart Health Month, Black History Month, Lovers Month and Presidents Day. Thank you.
I am delighted to inform you that I have hyperlinked your post to mine at http://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/soundeagle-in-love-and-dove-art-and-heart-on-valentines-day-with-gifts/
The said post is entitled “🦅 SoundEagle in Love and Dove, Art and Heart on Valentine’s Day with Gifts 🎁💝🕊💌💘”.
Hi, dear one, Sorry I haven’t been on site lately… Tons of work related demands offline. Thank you for the link up. Appreciated!
You are very welcome, Elizabeth.
Please be informed that my blog will benefit from being viewed on a large screen of a desktop or laptop computer, because many of the multimedia posts published on my blog could be too powerful and feature-rich for iPad, iPhone, tablet or other portable devices to handle properly or adequately.
I would really appreciate it if you could kindly give me some feedback at the comment section of my said post about Valentine’s Day. Thank you in anticipation.
May you have a lovely weekend soon. 🙂
Okay, I will do. Thank you!
Dear Ms Elizabeth Obih-Frank,
I have submitted a couple of comments earlier and wonder whether you have received them.
Thanks again. I just saw the link-up! 🙂
Happy Valentines to you too! Even though I am single, I celebrate it with my students and my love for my mom.
A ton of great information and reminders. February is a beautiful month.
Anytime is a good time to reflect on the way that we treat others. Love even when others don’t love you!
I am loving this heart to heart post. It is interesting and relevant since we have just had Valentine’s day xx
Beautiful read! Really opened my eyes!
Valentine’s Day is such a great day to reflect on those people in your life that mean the most to you and find ways to show appreciation.
Interesting read. Thank you for teaching me some new facts!
Great video selection. Happy Valentine’s Day!
This month is my twin’s birthday so we decide to go eat dinner outside and make it fun. Valentines day is a day of Love for family, couples, and friends 🙂
This is perfect for Black History Month. I’ve always admired Maya Angelou’s writing.
Heart to herart! What a beautiful poem. I am a big fan of your blog.
Aaaahhhh…there is so much to introspect about, in this month of February. Our lives, the history in there, what we want to do about all this….It’s a lot. I hope we get it right.
Fun blog.thanks for the fun blog.
You’ve shared a great list of motivational heart to heart goodies for Valentine’s! Have a great day & God bless.
This was such an interesting read. I’ve never really thought about where Valentine’s Day came from before other than just to assume it was a made up holiday. Very cool.
It was so much fun learning about Valentine’s Day. It’s one of my favorite holidays. I think it’s important to let the people in your life know how much you mean to them.
I always love the poems and history you share in your posts. I had no idea that Valentine’s Day had such ancient roots!
so amazing to have one more day to prepare gifts for your lovers and friends, it’s a good time to be more happy XD
All the poems are lovely, but my favourite has to be the one by Annette Wynne
February is a great month, lots to celebrate! Valentine’s Day is my least favorite, being single for so long. It’s bit of a depressing day. lol
When we are young we don’t really think about our hearts, we don’t get check-ups very often, if all. But there are more and more cases of people having heart attacks when they are just 40 years old, it’s scary. There should be more awareness that heart diseases can happen at young ages too.
Thank you for sharing! I love your motivation tips. And I like that you are bringing awareness to presidents day
Always so informative and fun. I love your posts so positive. Thank you for sharing!
I can feel the love already after reading this blog post. I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Thank you for sharing such an inspirational and positive blog post.
Nice article. Keep up the good work.
I loved and had great fun reading. Valentine’s day is such an important event these days and good to know more about it.
Wow!!! this is a great insight. February has so much to celebrate. I wasnt aware of the black history at all. I did celebrate valentine day and was interesting to read about other events in Feb
So many things to celebrate this month! Thank you for mentioning other US holidays and explaining their meaning this is so informative for us people from other countries!
I believe, love is the most powerful force that can conquer any hard situation or person. Thanks for sharing this beautiful post.
This month is crazy! I hope you have a loving month too! Thank you Eliz.
Much love and light to you – let everyday be about love and laughter 🙂
I really like the poem and the article is very inspiring. One of the best articles I read in 2020.
This is a great round-up of all of the great celebrations that are incorporated into the month! I wrote about heart month on my blog. I know it’s Black History month but we consider every month Black history month. Our family doesn’t do anything differently. LOL
I love Valentines day, this post was lovely to read!
I really love this post. I had no idea that Valentine’s Day had so much history behind. it. I think it’s great that you go into such detail!
We celebrated Valentines day as a family. We had a nice dinner. It was really nice.
I think the first quote in this post is the most important one of all. We DO need much move love in the world.
I love the poetry! Valentines day is such a lovely day. Very fun post!
What a fun post on everything February events, not just Valentine’s Day! I love those poems too!
Your blog always has the most beautiful poetry and this is no exception
I’ve always wondered what the story behind Valentine’s Day was. What a wonderful and interesting post. I believe that you can show your love to someone not only on Valentine’s Day or the month of February but everyday.
So many important and beautiful holidays in such a short month 🙂
You posted my favorite song….Yummy!! Happy Valentines Day!
Sorry I had to remove some songs as they were slowing down my load time. I love that song too. I’ll post it here for us to enjoy. 😉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EJ3zbKTWQ8
Justin Bieber – Yummy
Wow, there is so much to celebrate in February! Thanks so much for all of this info!
Love is one of the most powerful emotions on earth, if not the most powerful ones to ever exist. Love can create beautiful things, but it can also create horrible things within the wrong person. If love is true, it is everlasting, evergreen, and tried and true. It will create only positive, good things in life. I agree with your message. Thank you for sharing and spreading the love.
Love is a wondrous thing indeed. 🙂
Valentines Day is a day to celebrate love and we should spend it with the people we care about!
Wow this was an awesome collection of poems. Loved the one by Mary Oliver. Thanks for this.
Henry Miller was so right when he said this: “The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love.”
Great breakdown of the month – my birthday is also in February, so it’s cool to know about all the other cool things in this short month!
Oops….I didn’t know this is the Heart Health month! I have never gotten myself a heart-check up. I think I need to.
We celebrate heart month every year. Heart health is extremely important to both my husband and myself as we have a pretty extensive history of heart disease on both sides a of our families. On top of that one of our children was actually born with multiple congenital heart defects so heart week is a good reminder of how lucky we are. Thanks for the article
WoW! I appreciate your honest feedback because heart month is very personal to me too. Wishing you and yours great health in 2020!
You always do a fantastic job at jam packing a bunch of information and beautiful poetry all into one post. This is another great post! Heart Health month is important to us because my step-dad and his father both have heart issues, his mother also passed away not that long ago from similar issues.
Yes, it is usually genetic.
I wish you well for the whole year. It’s all about giving your heart out. Making sure that you have good welfare.
So many cool things to celebrate in February. Valentine’s Day isn’t really my favorite, though. haha.
this is a great post. i especially love that poem by Maya Angelou… <3
Happy Valentines Day meaning a thank you day for me to celebrate with those love me and I love, including my family members 😀
So much goodness in one post! I loved reading through all the excerpts and poems. And I never thought of all we celebrate in February before. Thanks for the reminder!
A lovely read. I just love Langston Hughes.
There really is so much to celebrate in February. It’s full of so much history. Absolutely love the poems that honor all these different moments.
Amazing. Well written article. I learned something from reading it. Thank you for sharing.
My niece has a very special heart, that’s seen many a surgical theatre! So, we get it. We’re so lucky that she is here and continues to thrive!
I love The Gardener poem. I might have to print that one out and put it next to my desk.
February is my favorite month specifically because of the many month-long celebrations and reminders.
Love—ly blog! Have you heard Maya Angelou say her poem. It is so uplifting. If you haven’t please do!
It’s so hard to believe that February is almost over. It’s been kind of a hard month in my area so I’m ready to move on. Thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!
I love this. Heart Month is so important and people need to pay more attention for sure
What an interesting reflection! We need to take care of our hearts every single day <3. Thanks for your lovely post.
Valentine’s and Heart Health both in Feb lol. How coincidental. I’m sure Valentine’s of original times resembles nothing we celebrate today, like most holidays.
Such an uplifting and inspirational compilation. Thanks for the smiles you added this week!
I thoroughly enjoyed your article. Interesting info about Valentine’s that I didn’t know. We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s as it has become way too commercial for our taste.
Thank you. I agree
It is strange that I am reading about heart health right at this moment when I am experiencing high blood pressure. I had to take a break from work and rest for a while until my blood pressure goes back to at least “near normal.” I love your writing, it is always informative and motivational.
Please get yourself checked… HBP is a killer too.
Thank you Elizabeth. My doctor did not find anything that would be a cause of concern. He said my increased blood pressure was brought about by anxiety and depression (which I am going through right now.) 🙁
Sending healing hugs your way…
Such a great post and I love the poems. Funny thing is I actually forgot about Valentine’s day this year, let’s just say that thanks to social media, I found out real quick.
Thanks for pointing out the wonderfulness that is Black History month. It is my favorite month of the year!
🙂
There are so many celebration and reminders during this month! Heart month is very personal to me as well as my grandma died of a heart attack due to smoking about 15 years ago. I try to keep my heart healthy (and stay away from alcohol and smoking), but also try to keep my body (especially my lungs, I feel that is the weakest organ in my body) fit and healthy.
Sorry for your loss… it is important to stay healthy
The gardener poem you included is beautiful. Heart health month is important to us because my step-dad and both of his parents suffer from heart issues, my step-dad had a stroke when he was only 32 so we try to stay healthy and eat heart healthy foods.
That is young but it can happen especially if there is a congenital defect.
This was very insightful and great to read during the month of February!
This was so helpful thank you so much for sharing your words so lovely!!
We do not do a lot for Valentine’s Day. We do try our best to honor the spirit of Black History Month.
I love the acknowledgement of Black History Month. It’s definitely time to celebrate.
I’m glad you approve. 🙂
These are interesting things to know about Valentines. I really had no idea about its history/ origins and I am happy to know something new today.
We had a great time celebrating. Totally agree with you that self-care and loving others go hand in hand.
I guess you’re right, there ARE a lot of special celebrations packed into February! I’d never thought of it that way. My daughter and I were actually researching the history of celebrating Valentine’s Day in the US for a school project earlier this month!
Yes, a lot more than the norm. 🙂
Such insightful information! You opened my eyes to what Valentine’s Day is all about!
Thanks for sharing this. Great read.
Please don’t thank me for sharing my post. A real comment would be appreciated. Ting. 🙁
The poems are so beautiful and I love them. Such a great collection for the day of love.
Langston Hughes is just incredible. I am blown away by his poetry each time I read it. What a wonderful inclusion into a powerful post.
A month of celebration. It is also National Dental Health month in my country. As a dentist, it is quite festive.
Anyway, I love Maya Angelou. I love the honesty and impact of her writing. The poem is so lovely.
Thank you:)
Absolutely LOVE that poem by Maya Angelou. February is a packed month, so much going on in such a short time.
We should not ignore our heart health. Simple life style changes can make big difference.
Such a heart warming post! Thank you
What lovely tributes to the celebration of love!
It’s a fun read, thank you so much for this!
Loved reading the poems. They are so inspirational and motivating.
The heart is a muscular organ but as weird as it sounds, some people can die from a broken heart, literally. They go through something in life so hurtful that the “heart ceases to function,” just like shattering into pieces – exactly how we feel when relationships end. And to think that the heart is not a sensory organ!
Right…? amazing grace!
I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day, and love this post.
Thank you for this insightful video. So many gems in this post. Especially heart health.
So important that you touched upon congenital disease and the need to get tested. Such a beautiful soon to Valentine’s Day, the day of the heart! Kudos!
This season of love is perfect time to express love to our parents love ones and friends but I believe love is not only for seasonal it’s perennial
That Valentine’s Day poem was really cool.
This was so informative and interesting. I had no idea so much happened in February. I love Maya Angelou and her poems!
You always share the most beautiful poems and this post is another example. I am going to copy the poem, A Valentine by James Russell Lowell. The words touch my heart.
In Japan, Valentines day is celebrated but in a different way. The girl prepares chocolates or sweets to his partner, for male co workers. It’s Valentines for men and girls will receive the return on what they call as ‘White Day’.
Great read. Hope more people read!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful blog article.I learned something new from it. Thanks again.
your post is always very motivational. That poem Still, I Rise almost make me cry …. it made my day.
Maya Angelo poems and quotes always touch me. Still I Rise gives me chills.
This is a great collection! (And I absolutely love Maya Angelou, but who doesn’t right?) <3 Thank you so much for putting this together!
I very rarely read poems anymore but the few you shared touched me, thanks
The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love.” Henry Miller…………So true…….Love is elusive……..but still worth pursuing……who knows…it will be perfect one day………
I love reading poems! Still I Rise is my favorite one on here!
Great collection! I really love some of these poems, very inspiring.
I absolutely love the poem by Maya Angelou! Thank you so much for sharing.
I actually hear of this term Lupercalia from Sabrina TV series. I learnt the actual details right now. Crazy right? However being a fan of Maya Angelou poems and I’m glad u added her poem but on this occasion It just reminded me of one more poem by her. Black History. I’ll just quote the last stanza as its my favourite:
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
I enjoyed reading the poem! Love is complicated, but I rather give love than just keeping it.
As usual you have shared the wonderful poem, love to read the great lines …..
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
You’ve shared poems that are heartwarming. I love it!
What a great collection of poems. They are all perfect for Valentine’s Day!
I always enjoy the poems you include in your post. I love the quotes too. Valentine is my favorite time of the year and I love to celebrate it with family
These poems will make all the special people in your life feel loved. I love to show my love with poems.
Writing thoughtful Valentine’s day missives for all of your loved ones is something they surely will appreciate, especially this year. Thanks for this motivation about Valentine’s
Such a great inspiration here. I really enjoyed reading your poems!
I like how you included a History Channel clip. I was a big fan until they started with shows like Ice Road Truckers.
Love how you don’t leave out any details for the month of February. The poems are a beautiful touch too
Happy belated valentines day! I love your poems. They really made me think about not only being loved, but giving love too.
Langston Hughes is one of my faves. I bet him and Zora were quite the duo at one point in time (when they were sweethearts).
Such an awesome post. Great motivations! The post made my day. Thanks for sharing the awesome article
I didn’t realize that February was heart health month. It makes total sense to me now, though!