February is a month of several observances.
First, we think of Valentine’s Day.This holiday has become a big commercial day, but we can truly observe the true meaning by remembering those we love. A simple gesture will mean as much as that expensive bouquet of flowers or that big box of candy. Try a visit or instead of going out to dinner, why not prepare a home meal and invite those you love into your home to share it. No one loves fresh flowers anymore than I do, but do not let the cost hinder you from showing your love to someone. Try doing something nice every day of the month for those you love and for those who may be alone.
February is also Women’s Heart Health Month. A symbol of this is the wearing of a red dress. Be sure to have a check up at the doctors and have your heart checked. A good start on this project is to eat healthy and to start an exercise program.
You will also see a lot of pink this month and this is to observe breast cancer month. A simple mammogram is the beginning of a solution to this problem. I am sorry to report that in the past six months I have lost five friends to breast cancer. This is a serious problem but can be prevented. Do not ignore the symptoms! I urge you to be sure that your mammograms are up to date and that you do a self exam. Remember to support the many projects that raise funds for cancer research. Perhaps this will be the year that we come up with a cure.
February is also Black Culture Month. Locally we will have many things going on. In observance of this, the PWA will be sponsoring a luncheon to honor ten women of color who have distinguished themselves in our community. Ironda Joyce Campbell will be the keynote speaker. The luncheon will be held the last Friday of February (the 24th) at the Uptown Event Center. The public is invited to attend and reservations can be made by calling the PWA at 304-622-6881.
An update on my sister Joan who had hip replacement surgery this past week … she is doing fine and is up walking around. We hope the pain is gone and that she will continue to recuperate.
I wish to extend my sympathy to the John Pinion family on his passing. Many of us will think of Christmas and that beautiful window that he created at the former Parsons Souders in Clarksburg. Sympathy also goes out to Beverly Sue Miller and her husband on the passing of their son and to Tom Ayoob on the passing of his wife.
Our family will also be observing birthdays this month. The first will be that of my grandson Delegate Ben Queen and then to my daughters Leslie Queen Pruitt and Lisa Lang. May they have many more in good health.
I did get my flu shot on Saturday. We kept hearing that February was going to be a bad month for the flu and that it wasn’t too late to get one. I urge any of you who may not have gotten one to do so. At our age the flu can be pretty devastating. Do not forget to have plenty of chicken soup on hand to help fight the flu bug. Some studies show that it really helps to enjoy a bowl of chicken soup when you are feeling bad. By the way, I understand that if you are on Medicare you do not have to pay for the shot … so no excuse for not getting it.
Take care, keep in touch and until next week “Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine.”