Our Calendar Holds More Than Just Numbers

Hey y'all! July is coming up and this one is special because it will host the 250th anniversary of the birth of America as our country. I may not always remember what day it is or what I had for lunch two days ago, but I clearly remember celebrating the 200th anniversary of America in Magnolia. 50 years ago, we had lots of special events capped off by a great parade in which I, and many other patriotic local citizens participated. (I was Editor of the MAGNOLIA GAZETTE at that time.) We all know that things have changed a lot in the entire country since then and not always for the better, but every day is a chance for each of us to do some small thing to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We should all endeavor to make our days better, because we each only have a certain number to work with. We have, of course, learned that other people lived in what we call the United States of America before our ancestors decided to come and claim it, but that was then and this is now. We are all Americans now. We don't use an old calendar, and we don't live under the tyranny of a Roman Emperor. America is truly the Home of the Free. While a lot of countries are still struggling with Communism or Socialism, America celebrates its freedom every day as we travel, work, eat, attend school or choose where to live. Now, back to our calendars, how they came to be, what they meant originally and what they mean now. In the early days of creating a calendar, the Romans were mentioned a lot. I believe just about everyone knows, or should know, that July was named after the Roman Emperor Julius Ceasar, and August was named after his great uncle Augustus. January was named after the Roman God, Janus, for new beginnings. February was named after a Roman festival dedicated to the springtime ritual of cleaning and washing and partying... March was named after the Roman God Mars. April is a bit different as it was most likely named for the Latin word 'Aperire' meaning to open. In this case to open a new season. May was named after the Roman God Maia. June gets its name from the Roman God Juno. All of the names in the last 4 months were named after the number of their placement, based on the old Roman Calendar. But today we use the Gregorian calendar which was based on how many days it took for Earth to orbit the sun. Interesting, but that's really for another column. Instead, let's talk about the other monthly highlights with which we fill our calendars throughout the year. There are a lot, so you can choose two or three that are the most significant for you to focus on. January National Mentoring Month, National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Dry January (is this about drinking or drought?), National Blood Donor Month, National Hobby Month, Self-Love Month. February Black History Month, American Heart Prevention Month, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. March Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, National Reading Month, Brain Injury Awareness Month. (Sometimes I think I should celebrate this one.) April Autism Awareness Month, Financial Literacy Month, Stress Awareness Month, National Poetry Month. May Mental Health Awareness Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Jewish American Heritage Month. June LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, National Safety Month, Men's Health Month. July National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (I'm sorry but shouldn't this be part of May's Mental Health Awareness Month?, National Ice Cream Month (My favorite), National Parks and Recreation Month. August National Immunization Awareness Month, National Wellness Month, National Black Business Month. September National Suicide Prevention Month, Hispanic Heritage Month (starts mid-September), National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. October Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, National Bullying Prevention Month. November National Diabetes Month, National Native American Heritage Month, National Family Caregivers Month. December Universal Human Rights Month, National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, National Safe Toys and Gifts Month. Although, in my opinion, some of these seem to overlap and could be combined with others, they are ALL important in doing what their titles suggest-being AWARE of what's going on around us. Please don't just read this list and forget about it. Try and remember the problems that these monthly events were created to highlight, as well as the people all over the country that hopefully benefit from their creation. This shows us just some of the many things on which our great nation needs to put its focus. We, as individuals, may not be able to affect the price of gas or our military interactions with other countries, but we can support school lunch programs, the local Food Bank, blood donations, and many more. When you get right down to it, this list enables us to be specific (aside from our own families and friends) about what we pray for and when. America belongs to all of us and is a nation we should and must take pride in. I believe that we can all come to see that if we don't pull together, an outside force (or maybe an inside force) will be able to pull us apart. America is too great to let that happen, and our 250th birthday in July should renew the pride we all need to have in our country. GOD BLESS AMERICA!