As of this writing, I have been writing this column for seven years, well over half a decade. In that time, I have written a lot on the month of February and in the month of February and I thought it would be fun to take a look back.

Now February has two things that almost everyone thinks about…Spring is around the corner and of course, Valentine’s Day. Both subject matter has made its way into this column, including me wishing I was in the Gulf still at this time of year rather than the cold (the very, very cold) Midwest:

 “As I sit here writing this it is currently seven degrees for a ‘high’ and soon two to four inches of snow will arrive. The extended forecast here in the Midwest says warmer weather will be here in less than a week, but right now I’m “Texas dreaming” on such a very cold Winter’s day.

    Soon the trees and other plants will experience their reawakening, the early morning will be filled with sunshine rather than darkness and people will escape their homes again with hardly a regretful thought about the cabin fever that preceded it.
    And I can feel like I finally moved away from the Arctic Circle for a few months as well.”

This year could be a bigger and better sequel as in the week I am writing this it was colder here in Chicago than some locations in Antarctica…next time you complain about a hot Texas Summer day, please clip out and keep this article to your fridge for a soothing reminder of how location can indeed be everything.

Of course February is about hot romance more than hot weather, and I think we have covered it pretty well over the years, from the history of the holiday’s origins:

I looked up the history of Valentine’s Day and discovered that in reality it was more about three Christian Martyrs with the name of Valentine, who became saints, than about love. It was not until a man by the name of Geoffry Chaucer wrote these lines in his 1382 work Parlement of Foules that the reference took on a more romantic note:

 “For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.”

This poem was written to commemorate the one year anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.

By the time 1797 rolled around, a company in England had started printing a book entitled The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which contained a collection of verses and romantic drawings for young lovers to place in their own homemade Valentines. By the mid 19th century, the Valentine industry made 1.3 million pounds in England, somewhat sped along by lower postal rates which allowed more ‘racy’ subject matter to be sent privately to lovers as well as the first anonymous Valentines to be sent by secret admirers.

 “Of course now a days it is more then just personalized letters that we send out to our loved ones, we have our children pass them out to their classmates, we buy chocolates, jewelry and other gifts to go along with mass produced cards written by large companies with professional greetings writers expressing our most personal thoughts.”

However, before I leave you (and turn up the heat), please note that despite my ending the last memory on a snarky shot and the modern state of consumerism, I also have made my true feelings on love known here to the readers as well, and after going through seven years of February columns this passage stands out the most:

 “Hardest of all to achieve is the greatest love of all, which is self-love and should never be mistaken for arrogance or someone who appears on the outside to be perfect and have it all figured out, but might just not be all they seem to be.

    I suppose because from the time we are born till the time we all die we all look for some form of love, it makes it one of the most encompassing desires across the entire planet, taught by our prophets no matter the religion, at the heart of our wildest dreams of a perfect governmental system is the society based love we hope we one day achieve for our fellow man.

 Hopefully this soon will mean that as we all desire love in one of its many guises, it should become easy to both give that love out and receive it ourselves. “

Jeanine Gayle Bricker, 68 of Port O’ Connor, TX, passed Friday, January 25th, 2019.

Jeanine was born June 13th, 1950 in Kenedy, TX to Jesse and Pat (Smith) Atkinson. She was a graduate of Victoria High School, Class of ‘68. Jeanine chose Port O’Connor to be her permanent home in 1985 and was always proud of her community. She worked many years with the public at several PO’C businesses to include the Hurricane Junction, Opry House, Bob’s, “Johnny’s” Auto Marine, PO’C Shamrock, PO’C Fishing Center, and most recently the hometown Speedy Stop, where she was a recognized face to so many. She greeted customers, knew your name, your family, and your dog’s name. Jeanine was a great friend to so many and many for a lifetime. She enjoyed the love of her beautiful grandchildren, her pets, rock n’ roll music, a seafood dinner, and a quality cocktail.

Jeanine is preceded in death by her husband Mike Hammons and mother Pat (Smith) Atkinson. She is survived by her father Jesse Atkinson, sisters Marla Wright and Lisa Boyd, daughter Amber Bricker (Zac), and her precious grandchildren, whom she loved deeply, Keegan Short and Torunn Short.
There was a Celebration of Life Service for Jeanine February 10, 2019, at Port O’Connor Community Center.

Special Thanks to the caring staff at Memorial Medical Center in Port Lavaca, who cared for Jeanine through many years.

We have lost a part of our PO’C Community. She will be missed by so many but we know now she rests easy and is with good company, as she always wanted to be.

Arrangements entrusted to the personal care of Grace Funeral Chapel. Visit Jeannie’s Book of Memories to share a memory or condolence with the family at www.gracefuneralhome.net.

To send flowers to the family of Jeannie Gayle Bricker, please visit the Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Graveside services for Mr. Matt McKnight, 64, of Port O’Connor, were held on Saturday, January 26, 2019, at Lakewood Memorial Park in Henderson, TX. Interment followed under the direction of Crawford -A. Crim Funeral Home.

Mr. McKnight passed from this life on January 22, 2019, at his residence in Port O’Connor. He was born March 24, 1954, in Mineola to the late Jeff and Evelyn (Warren) McKnight. Matt has lived in Port O’Connor for the last 20 years and previously resided in Kilgore. He was a welder by trade, and he enjoyed fishing. Matt was a member of Fisherman’s Chapel in Port O’Connor where he used his talent for guitar and voice to lead worship from time to time.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Karen McKnight; and brother, John. R.McKnight.

Survivors include: children, Jamie Nicole Jackson and her son Bret Vonne Jackson of Port O’Connor, Skylar Hoyt McKnight and wife Holly and their children Rayven, Drake, Shiloh, and Ro McKnight of Kilgore, and Keri McKnight Dobbs and husband Jordan and their son Cody Dobbs of Trinity; brothers, Ray McKnight of Clear Lake, and Paul McKnight and wife Carla of Kilgore; sister, Lorin McKnight Mayo and husband Richard of Good Springs; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, other family and friends.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.crawfordacrim.com.

SEADRIFT – Myke Ashby Hubbard, age 74, passed away Saturday evening, January 19, 2019 at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford, MS. Myke was born February 16, 1944 to the late Lois Joyce Shreffler and Charles Henry Ashby in Pampa, Texas. During her lifetime she worked as a personnel consultant at Goodwin Personnel in Victoria, Texas. She was very involved with her church in Seadrift, Texas and loved her friends and church family. When she moved to Batesville, she enjoyed fishing in her spare time.

She leaves behind her husband, Rodney Hubbard, to cherish her loving memory. Along with her parents, Myke is preceded in death by one brother, Bobby Ashby.

There will be a memorial service at the First United Methodist Church in Seadrift, Texas at a later date.

“This close to Valentine’s Day and you did NOT write your article on LOVE? What’s wrong with you?” Okay, be sure to get your flowers and candy for your loved one or ones, and be certain to let them know that you love them! Spread the love around as much as you can so everyone in your sphere of influences will “feel the love”! NOW, DOES THAT DO IT FOR YOU? Then, please look at this article as possible ways to express your love better than ever! See if you can not find a new way of expressing love.

At least one of the people who read this article is 103 – Happy Birthday Mrs. Grace Stone! She has seen much more that the rest of us about how to love one another, but I know her well enough to know that she will be inspired to search for new, creative ways to express her love!

I have narrowed my suggestions for cultivating creativity into seven (7) groupings. I trust that we will attempt at least a few of them.

See everything as an experiment. When we see every opportunity as an experiment, we realize that it is okay to fail! In fact, we should celebrate mistakes as readily as we do accomplishments. No one should have to make the same mistake over and over again. But, new mistakes are the pathway to new creativity. It is reported that Edison had over 1,000 ways not to make a light bulb before he found the one that worked! When we stop making mistakes, we probably are not taking enough risks in life!

Share wins. When we create a culture of positivity, it will lead us to a culture of creativity. We have got to celebrate what we want to see more of. The positive energy from our wins helps us overcome the mistakes we are bound to make. If we want to see more creativity, celebrate each one! I was the dad who celebrated our oldest son’s first baseball game with ice cream, because he almost got a hit, which meant he almost made it to first base, which meant that he almost made a home run – in his first baseball game! That is something to celebrate!

Maturity does not equal conformity. All of us are different, but all of us share mostly sameness. There is not much difference in male and female, rich or poor, Republican or Democrat or any other of the divisions that we have artificially composed. But in another sense, we must celebrate our differences. We try to treat everyone as invaluable and irreplaceable, but we must give permission – even dare people to be different!

Know oneself. How long has it been since we had a personality test? Without it, we are only guessing how we are wired and what our strengths and weaknesses are. I have gone to Community College to get tested so I can get to know myself better. It is not expensive and could be very revealing – and in my opinion, much more helpful than a DNA test (which are so popular today).

Never take yourself too seriously. God is always to be taken seriously, but we must never take ourselves too seriously. A sense of humor is a trait that will bear rich dividends. The healthiest, happiest people on this planet are those who laugh at themselves the most. Learning to truly laugh is an important key to creativity.

Faithfulness is not a matter of keeping the status quo. Gates and walls are defensive measures. We have been called to play offense. When we are not taking a step forward, we are stepping back. In the culture of creativity, we must always be pushing the envelope and not just doing what has always been done, the way it has always been done.

Search for a God idea. Each of us was created in the image of God! One God idea is much better than a thousand good ideas. Good ideas are good, but God’s ideas have changed the course of history. What idea could you get and implement that would be historic? To get a God idea, one must listen to God’s Word. Then we must make sacrifices and take risks. We have got to stay humble and stay hungry. And when we do, there is nothing that we can not accomplish!

A half-formed imagination results in half-hearted people. If we are going to have a true impact on our culture, we can not just criticize what we see or copy it. We have to create it! If we are going to reach our family with encouragement to become better, we can not rely on logic! We must capture their imaginations.

Never allow anyone to tell you that you are not creative! Creativity is our birthright. We have to claim it. Then we have to fan it into flames. And when we do, there is nothing that can stop us!

So love creatively this Valentine’s Day! Instead of allowing Hallmark, create your own cards. They will be the ones found many years later after the store-bought ones are in the landfill!