February 2022

Valentine’s Day symbols like heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, Cupid shooting his arrow and bouquets of roses are ubiquitous come February. Each of those symbolizes is meant to signify the love individuals have for their significant others, but perhaps no Valentine’s Day image is more symbolic of love than doves. According to LiveScience.com, doves have been a symbol of love since the Middle Ages, when many people believed birds chose their mates on Valentine’s Day. But the history of doves and their affiliation with love dates back even further and can be traced to the days of Greek mythology. Aphrodite is the goddess of love in Greek mythology, and she is often depicted as being surrounded by doves. Doves’ own traits also have helped them become symbols of love, as LiveScience. com notes that male doves help their female partners incubate and tend to their young, bolstering their image as caring, loving birds.

When I look back to my growing up years, I realize I was lucky, or should I say blessed. My parents were far from wealthy, but they were good, honest, hard-working people who made sure their children had what they needed. At the time, we take for granted a modest but comfortable home, plenty of food and what’s in our closet. What we really enjoy are the extras.

POCAHONTAS, AR – Blair Shiff, Digital Director for WCNC-TV at TEGNA INC, spoke to Lisa Inman’s Freshman English II class via Zoom on Monday, January 24. She discussed fact-checking and how journalists conduct research to ensure their stories are factual and reliable.

POCAHONTAS, AR – Patti Blaxton, Director of Corporate and Community Education, and Priscilla Stillwell, Executive Director of Paragould Operations, attended the Delta Workforce Peer Exchange in New Orleans on January 11, 2022.