A MONTH OF SELFLESSNESS? THAT'S A MONTH I'D GLADLY CELEBRATE!

Courtesy of David Pataconi

I had a friend who had the idea of creating a Christian calendar. It included changing the names of the days of the week and the months, reflecting, if I remember correctly, Christian virtues with at least the days. 

The biggest flaw was his months, in my opinion, is that it completely departed from our Gregorian calendar. Why is that a flaw? Because it separates those who use this calendar from the rest of the world and makes it harder to communicate. 

The Jews have an answer. They number their years the same, except instead of using B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (The year of the Lord), they refer to those designations as B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (The Common Era.) They have created an effective alternative that works in the real world.

Those who read my blog know that I have an alternative to Halloween that either coincidentally or providentially  (take your pick; you can guess which one I picked) happens to be the same day of the year as Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg door (otherwise known as Reformation Day).

In our culture, the focus has moved from days to months. We have Black History Month (February). We have Women's History Month (March). I don't know if they expanded Earth Day to the entire month of April, but it wouldn't surprise me. And many know what some designate the month of June as.

Well, my musician friend David Pataconi, member of the band TheoTerran as well as a solo artist, has proposed a wonderful alternative. He has designated June as "Selflessness" month. I think that's an excellent alternative.

The best thing is that it's not confrontational. Rather, it is how I choose to see that month. If someone want to encourage me to celebrate their month, sorry, but I've got other plans. 

When I was a member of an Assembly of God church in the mid-80's, I noticed that the denominational magazine had a designation for each week. For example, one week was to recognize their version of the Scouts. I've thought for years of doing the same, especially in this blog. Maybe I should just simplify and make it a month. 

And celebrating June as the month of Selflessness a great start..