Heart-shaped candy boxes, heart-shaped balloons, heart-shaped cookies… February really is all about the heart. Every year, we use the fourteenth to celebrate those we love and express to them how much they mean to us. However, our heart obsession is not limited to the parties and confections of Valentine’s Day. February is also National Heart Month and serves to bring awareness to the importance of heart health and the millions across the nation who suffer with heart conditions.
February is the month we look forward to each year that smells of roses and chocolates! Did you know Valentine’s Day in 2020 added over $25 billion to the economy, all in the name of celebrating love? … Love evokes so many feelings that can be hard to define or even express in words. When I think of love, I think about actions. I think of how my husband does the dishes and packs our kids’ lunches every day.
The communal roots of talented artists find their homes in the twin cities. Growing up here, I enjoyed the music of my parents, Professor Samuel and Rosie Williamson-Collins, both singers of gospel music and pianists. After performing with the Dunbar High School Marching Band in 1968, I continued my music studies with the late Bob Ingram, former Texarkana Independent School District Supervisor of the Instrumental Music Program. I also enjoyed singing in the choir.
After announcing I was running for the Texarkana, Arkansas Board of Directors for Ward 6, a common response was, “Why would you want to do that?” The negative feedback was overwhelming: … “You are going to have to give up a lot of your time for no pay.” … “You are not going to be able to make everyone happy.” … “You are opening yourself to criticism.” … As I pondered these comments, I would not be honest if I did not say I second guessed my decision on more than one occasion. However, I am an overcomer and truly believe, despite such comments, serving others is a calling we all share.
I have vivid memories of grade school. I specifically remember that fall day in 1982 when my best friend, Linda Malcolm, and I walked into that Atlanta Primary School classroom, acting like we owned the place. It was the very first day of kindergarten and I was pumped! There was no crying from me when my mama dropped me off. Nope! I had hit the big time. My kindergarten teacher made each student a name tag in the shape of an ice cream cone, and everybody’s ice cream cone was a different color.
With most couples, “to have and to hold” does not include a daily serving of queso and chips, delicious green salsa or shrimp rancheros. However, power couple and Amigo Juan owners, Maria and Sergio Rodriguez, have been cooking and serving up these popular menu items for the past 18 years, while also finding a way to keep their love alive. A power couple could be defined as two equal partners who complement each other and whose relationship is based on mutual respect and appreciation—more about collaboration and less about competition. In the words of an unknown source, “Be a boss.
Mark McWilliams lived in Texarkana for 18 years. He is owner of Arista Winery and Vineyards, founded in 2002 in Sonoma County, California. Arista has become one of California’s most sought after producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Arista’s wines are produced in small quantities and have deep, rich flavors that reflect the unique sites from which they come. … What is your favorite Texarkana memory? … Growing up in a place, you have tons of memories and it’s difficult to pick one.
Two in the Canoe … I LOVE “love!” To me, it is paramount to all other emotions. No matter what I am feeling, love either makes things better, or takes the sting away, making struggles a little easier to experience. I have been loved, and have loved, in so many ways: as a daughter, as a mother, as a friend, as a teammate, as a sister, as a cousin, as an aunt and as a niece. But the love I love most dearly is that I have experienced as a wife. Words cannot adequately express the joy with which the Lord has blessed me through my marriage.
Home is Where the Heart Is … We purchased our home just over three years ago. After searching, we found the perfect fit for our growing family in a home originally built in the 1950s. Only one family had lived in it previously. Their three children grew up within its walls and that comforting feeling of a family home was still present, even though it had been a while since it had been occupied. As word of our new home spread to our friends and family, they told us stories about all the fun times they had in our home with the original owners.