Happy birthday wishes to Louis Peace, Jr., Dec. 26, Charlotte Court House; A’aliyah Spencer, Dec. 27, Drakes Branch, daughter of Tameka Freeman and granddaughter of Virginia and Paul Hamlett, Jr.; Bennie Mosley, Dec. 29, Saxe; Sharon Stovall, Dec. 30, Drakes Branch; Renautta Brogdon, Dec. 31, Saxe; Jalayah Pugh, Dec. 31, Keysville; Angel Wilmouth, Dec. 31, Drakes Branch; Russell Spencer, Sr.; Jan. 1, Charlotte Court House; Alma Garland, Jan. 2, Columbus, Ohio; Johnatan Culpeper, Jan. 4, Lynchburg; Tina Ann Jones Moore, Jan. 4, Randolph; Clifton Pugh, Jan. 4, Anstoria, New York; Gary Brogdon, Jan. 4, Randolph. I wish all of you a very happy birthday!

Anniversary wishes to Jamal and Jennifer Williams, Dec. 30, North Carolina. They have two daughters and a son. May the sunshine of love and happiness always bless you both. Stay blessed in each others company forever in time. I wish you both a very happy anniversary, have good time. Happy anniversary.

Get well wishes to all of the sick and shut-in. I hope you are all well soon, up and about enjoying the holidays. You are in our prayers for a quick recovery.

Sympathy to all of the families who lost a loved one recently. Our heartfelt prayers and good wishes go out to each of you on your time of need. May God comfort each and every heart and every home. You have our deepest sympathy.

Merry Christmas to everyone and I wish all of you a happy new year. To all of my readers, I look forward to writing the news for you in 2019.

Thought for the week: The biggest waste of time and energy is to keep trying to explain something to someone who doesn’t want to hear it.

BEING IN LOVE

I love that feeling of being in love, the effect of having butterflies when you wake up in the morning. That is special. There’s a big difference between falling in love and being in love. There’s a big difference between infatuation and falling in love. That’s not a villain, that’s a man or woman who’s a victim of being in love with the wrong one.

Love is missing someone whenever you’re apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you’re close in heart. You know when you have found your prince because you not only have a smile on your face but in your heart as well.

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart. If you press me to say why I love him, I can say no more than because he was he and I was I. Love would never be a promise of a rose garden unless it is showered with light of faith, water of sincerity and air of passion. Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired, being in love with someone you can call your own.

News is due by noon Friday. Any news received after this time will not be included in this column. News can be submitted by calling (434) 568-0596.

Virginia Freeman is a community columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at vstars@pure.net.