The sweetness should begin at home

February 2020 - Issue 28

Having Trouble Opening Email? - View as Webpage

This precious image by Mad Paperie

Hello and Happy Valentine’s Day!

This month’s article offers a bit of historical information about February 14 for those of you who, like my Valentine (my husband), tend to geek out on the academic details.

As far as I’m concerned, any excuse to focus on a bit of sweetness is reason enough to do so. I believe that, to a large extent, your attention manifests your life. Concentrating on the good is fundamental to happiness. And that includes your surroundings – not just chocolate!

If your house is not the home you wish it to be, we can fix that.

Whether it means moving on to a new situation or giving a new look and feel to the space you have, I can help.

xo-

817.903.1112

debra@debrabarrett.com

p.s. – Exploring and learning about your environment can help you love where you live. For those of you who live in and around Fort Worth, this month’s article has a suggestion for doing that, too. Check it out!

p.p.s. - please share Harmonious Home Adventures with friends and family (everyone deserves to love where they live!). Just hit the "forward" button on your email. They can sign up here:

Valentine’s Day started as a commemoration of a couple of different saints in the Christian tradition.

While the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Calendar of Saints continue to label February 14 as the date, the Catholic Calendar of Saints stopped official recognition in 1969, leaving celebration of St. Valentine up to local authorities. Traditionalist Catholics, however, who follow the pre-Vatican II calendar, still “heart” (so to speak) the 14 ^th of February.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, they celebrate two different historical Valentines – St. Valentine on July 6 and Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna on July 30.

Although it’s not recognized as an “official” holiday anywhere (I guess that means that businesses typically don’t close), Valentine’s Day is observed in one form or another in many different countries.

For most of us, the religious significance has given way to a desire to express affection for those most important to us – and, of course, all of the members of an elementary school class.

We can thank the Brits for a lot of our American Valentine's Day traditions, like giving flowers, candies, and other sweet things to our sweethearts.

And, by the way, associating Valentine’s Day with romantic love didn’t happen until Geoffrey Chaucer (yeah, that’s him – the Canterbury Tales guy) wrote a poem called the Parlement of Foules in about 1382.

But did he actually coin the association of amorousness with Valentine’s Day or is it just the earliest historical reference? We’ll probably never know.

Here's hoping you have plenty of sweetness in your life this Valentine's Day!

To Love Where You Live - Explore!

Many of you reading this newsletter live in (or around) Fort Worth, as I do.

Part of loving where you live is knowing about the place you live. Fort Worth has many things to recommend it beyond its Western heritage – a spectacular cultural scene with seriously world-class museums and galleries and theaters being just one, if perhaps the most salient.

Today, I want to share a resource for getting to know Fort Worth a little better: Authentic Fort Worth Tours. Check them out and give them a try. (A bit of a warning – the downtown walking tour sells out all the time, so planning ahead may be required.)

That will do it for this month. Until next month - March, the third month of the New Roaring 20s! But, did you know that, to the Romans before 150 BCE, March was the 1st month of the year?

Whatever calendar you choose to follow, I wish you health, abundance, harmony, and happiness. And, of course, that you

Love Where You Live!