FEBRUARY- THE MONTH OF LOVE

Love is the result of appreciating another's goodness and much has been spoken and written about the subject of "love." The greatest statement about "love" is the "Great Commandment." Its two commands revolve around practicing "love."Therefore, the most basic definition of "love" from the standpoint of God Himself involves knowing and keeping His commandments. 

This means that we cannot love God with all our heart, mind, and soul until we know Him, know His commands and begin to practice them by "walking in the Spirit." The loving of our neighbor is similar as there are numerous commands given by the Lord that are directed towards one another. As Christians, it is up to us to practically learn how God commands that we treat one another and then begin to practice those commands by "walking in the Spirit.”

So with the basic knowledge about what love is, should we always show love to someone during Valentine’s Day…….food for thought. 

February, along with January, was introduced onto the Roman calendar by NumaPompilous when the calendar was extended from ten to twelve. The word February comes from the Latin word Februarius, meaning to "purify" or "expiate."and reflects the rituals undertaken before spring.

In ancient Rome, Februarius was the "Month of Purification" and great festivities were held to reestablish the empire's focus on righteous living.

The Anglo Saxons called February 'Sol-monath' (cake-month), because cakes were offered to the gods during that month. February was also known to the Saxons as 'sprout-kale' from the sprouting of cabbage or kale.

Having only 28 days in non-leap years, February was known in Welsh as 'y misbach' - the little month.

In Shakespeare's time about 400 years ago, the second month of the year was called 'Feverell'. In Isaac Newton's time one hundred years later it had become 'Februeer'. The modern name, February, is only about a hundred years old.

According to the Georgian calendar, February is the second month of the year, and also the shortest month. February has 28 days until Julius Caesar gave it 29, and 30 days every four years.

February finally sees many of us getting our first breath of fresh air. And, by this time of the year, the pressure of New Year's resolutions is either incorporated itself into healthy habits or dropped by the wayside (depending upon if we've kept our resolution vows or not :).

The flower Violets in February, signifies hope, inspiration and promise. The Violet is a symbol of the ancient city of Athens. Its fragrance is sweet and the Violet has been used for centuries as a key ingredient for perfumes to arouse and stir whirlpools of love.

 Another flower for the month is Primrose. It was one of the first to herald the forthcoming of spring. Its name, primrose is derived from the Latin primus meaning first. Primrose symbolism includes courage, renewal, love and devotion.

As we merry this val’s day, which has become a ritual for most of us, we should be cautious of our health so us to be healthy and live the years God has granted us.

This is the second in the series of articles on all the months of the year. Watch out for “MARCH’

 By: Francisca Stokes