January - the Month of Dreary or the Month of Beginnings?

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary. (Edgar Allen Poe)

Can't you imagine Poe writing that on a January Monday midnight?Chilled to the bone and unhappy, but with pen in hand?

I hope you're not cold or unhappy. But let me ask you. Do you like winter? Do you like January? Or is it the month you want to slide on past and make way for February which can be pretty nasty on its own. But at least, February is shorter with Valentine's Day right in the middle to make for some fun times and a great excuse to eat chocolate and brighten our houses with red and white flowers. But January seems to go on and on. A full 31 days.  

Around here in Kentucky, January can be the month of dreary when the sun hides behind the clouds. When the announced wind chills make you shiver even while you're sitting by the fire. When snow can pile down, make travel impossible and cause you to fall prey to cabin fever. When the Christmas bills show up and the taxes loom. Are you depressed yet? Oh yeah, it's a good month for that too with its short days and frigid air that keeps a person inside even when the sun does pop out from behind those clouds. 

Nobody needs a smile so much as the one who has none to give. So get used to smiling heart-warming smiles, and you will spread sunshine in a sometimes dreary world. (Lawrence G. Lovasik)

You can find smiles in January. Snowflakes that cover the gray January ground and brighten the world. Sunshine sparkling on the snow and ice. Hot chocolate without guilt. Books to read by the fireplace or all snug in under a soft blanket. A perfect reading month. 

January is a time of new beginnings. A time to try over if we've messed up. A time to look toward the blessings waiting in the year ahead. A time to be thankful for the gift of another year. A time to smile even on the gray and dreary days. 

Winter is a season of recovery and preparation. (Paul Theroux)

We need winter. Well, perhaps I should say I need winter. You might want nothing at all to do with it and wish you lived in the Bahamas. But January can be a month for gathering thoughts, for thinking stories, for being ready because spring is on the way.

Seasons are necessary for me.

What do like best about January? Worst?

Thanks for reading. Come back Sunday. I'm going to have another of those "mystery pictures" games and give away some books. Are you ready?

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Valentines and Hearts

“Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.” – Voltaire 

What would life be without love? Isn't it great that we have a day set aside to celebrate love? In of all months, February. That month of the year when those of us in the northern hemisphere are beginning to be weary of winter. The month when the skies are often gray, when sometimes snow buries us and keeps us housebound. The month when you can schedule happenings, but you always have to wonder if those things will really happen on the day you plan or if old man winter will interfere. 

February is the shortest month because the good Lord realized that by this time in winter, we were ready to race on to spring. In fact it could be Jim Gaffigan has February figured out in his quote. "Without Valentine's Day, February would be... well, January."  So we can be glad for Valentine's Day.

The flower shops, greeting card companies, and candy makers are surely glad for Valentine's Day. Rose growers too. Roses will grace many desks and tables tomorrow. Red roses are the romantic choice. Chocolates in heart shaped boxes will be the language of love although I've always thought a sweetheart who knows your favorite candy bar and gets two or three of those instead has saved some money and yet scored some romantic points for knowing what his girl loves best. Chocolate covered strawberries will be the gift of choice in some households. And the restaurants will be busy. In a nearby town, a Waffle House even gets into the romantic mood with tablecloths and candles on the table and the servers dressed up for the night. 

But Valentine's Day isn't just for romantic couples. School kids get to have parties and candy. That was always my favorite party to help with when I was a room mother for my kids. Since all the kids got cards from everyone in the room, they could all feel popular on that day. Older folks who may have lost their spouses or perhaps were never married can appreciate a call or a card too. My thoughtful husband bought his 94 year old aunt an orchid. I know she'll love the flower and even more the visit when he delivers it to her.

Love puts the fun in together, the sad in apart, and the joy in a heart.  ~Author Unknown

So I'm wishing you a day when you have joy in your heart. A day when the memory of loves past or present will keep you smiling. A day when if no one brings you a flower or chocolate, you buy one for yourself. A day when you tell those you love that yes, you do love them. What makes you feel loved?

Now I need to get back to the edits on my book, Small Town Girl, scheduled for release in July. It has a lot of love in it. Love makes the stories go around. Thanks for reading. And remember a comment gets you another entry into my giveaway. I've enjoyed all your comments so far this month.