Thanks for reading the February 2025 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. I hope you enjoy the recipe for Cinnamon Baked Pears in “The Twelve Months of Fruit.” Previous issues are available to read on our website. Go to www.thisawfulawesomelife.com and start scrolling or you can enter specific search criteria.

Our March issue celebrates Women’s History Month and the Emerald Isle.

Priscilla Goodwin-Serra is sharing highlights and incredible photos of her and her husband’s recent trip to Ireland.

Orlando Bartro and I will be back with interesting articles for you.

What have the past twenty-five years been like for American women? What are the next four years likely to bring?

Our March author birthday is Gloria Steinem. “Dare to Believe” will be back, and I’ll be featuring plantains in the Twelve Months of Fruits.

We’re moving some of our regular features around to shake things up a bit and keep you on your toes. I’m also hoping to expand our Artist Page to feature more talented creatives. Some people manage to elevate their work to the level of an artform, and we want to support their efforts.

I’ll have more streaming and reading recommendations. “What’s in a Word?” will be back but we’ll be alternating some of our content. We’ll continue the monthly quizzes to exercise our brains, and we’ll continue reviewing books.

I’ll have another poem and a short story for you.

Also, I didn’t get this ready for the February issue, but I hope to have some news about a new subscription-based Patreon account featuring short stories and chapter installments of my books as I write them. This will be separated from our online magazine which will always be free and available to everyone. I’m considering the Patreon option because traditional and Indy publishing have changed so drastically in recent years. Hoping I can also provide opportunities for book discussions and narrations of short stories.

Stay safe. Stay well. You are important, and you are loved.

All my best,

Fran     

Answers to the February 2025 “Show Me You Love Me” Quiz: 

1. A triangle represents the love shared by mother, father, and child. It represented the capacity to love in Ancient Egypt, and is an important element of the Buddhist Shri Yantra that promotes love energy. Inverted, it symbolizes a vessel poured with love.

2. Their hard casings represent the protectiveness of a romantic relationship. In Greece, Rome, and India, seashells are a symbol of love. They are worn by or shown with the three goddesses of love, Aphrodite, Venus, and Lakshmi.

3. A symbol of love since 600 A.D., according to Greek, Egyptian, and Chinese legends this gemstone, rose quartz, symbolizes forever love, promotes self-love and attracts the kind of love you seek. In 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria presented a ring with this gemstone,  a diamond, to his bride, Mary of Burgundy.

4.  White swans mate for life. They are often shown with their beaks touching and the curvature of their necks forming a heart shape. Traditionally a symbol of love and peace two doves pictured together depict eternal love because they also mate for life.

5. In Ancient Greece, throwing an apple was an expression of love and adoration. It also symbolized unconditional love in Greek and Norse mythologies and ancient Chinese culture.

6. This hunchbacked grasshopper, Kokopelli, the fertility God to the Hopi tribe and several other Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States plays a love flute to attract a maiden. According to legend, when a man marries he breaks his love flute to signify that his search for a true love is over.

7. Infinity is a configuration consisting of loops that have no beginning or ending. It signifies forever love and was especially popular in Ancient Greece, Tibet, Rome, and India.

8. A maple leaf depicts the sweetness and wonders of love. In China and Jana, it represents true and beautiful love. In North America, it’s placed at the foot of a bed to ward off demons and bad spirits of negativity.

9. A red Padme Lotus symbolizes love, passion, and ardor. White jasmine is beloved for its fragrance and symbolizes pure and sacred love in the Hindu religion. Many Hindu goddesses are depicted wearing this flower. Red roses are the most popular symbol of love worldwide.

10. In Irish folklore, a Claddagh  consisting of two hands, one crown, and one heart symbolizes love.

11. A love knot is a popular Celtic symbol for eternal love. The series of loops with no beginning or end represent everlasting love and attachment.

12. A Triskele is one of the oldest Celtic love symbols. It consists of three interlocked spirals representing earth, water, and fire that are connected by a continuous line representing love, unity, and eternal life.

13. Traditionally a man asked his future father-in-law for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Eventually  clasped hands became a symbol of love and marriage.

14. The ladybug/lady bird is a common symbol of good luck and love. Some cultures in Asia believe if you catch one and release it will fly to the love of your life, whisper your name, and your true love will come to you.

15. The star-shaped Nsoromma is thought to symbolize guardianship, bonding, faithfulness, love, and fidelity to remind us that God is watching over us.

16. Cupid with his bow is often featured in Greek and Roman artwork shooting arrows to penetrate people’s hearts and make them fall in love.

17. A three-leaf clover is a sacred plant in Ireland worn by Irish couples on their wedding days to bring them faith, love, and hope. Also known as a shamrock, it is the national symbol of Ireland.

18. According to Norwegians and Icelanders, a ladder formed of harp strings represents the progression towards higher stages of love. This instrument is traditionally used in love ballads because of its gentle sound, and it’s a Celtic symbol representing the bridge of love connecting Earth with Heaven.

19. In ancient times. Knights wore scarves or ribbons from their lady loves when they went into battle. In later times, a lady “dropped”  her  frilly handkerchief hoping the man she was interested in would pick it up and return it signifying his interest in her.

20. Though it only slightly resembles the organ it was named for, the  heart has been a symbol of love, affection, and romance for centuries.