By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
Feb. 12 is a special day in Cleveland. For the last five years, the city has participated in the Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
While the holiday is not widely recognized in the nation, in Cleveland observance of the holiday includes a community gathering at the Cleveland Civic Center where prayers from city leaders, ministers, business leaders and first responders are offered to God.
In January, Cleveland City Council voted to observe Feb. 12 of every year, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls, as National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.
Mayor Otis Cohn, at the January council meeting, stated that it is important to recognize the holiday on the actual day of Feb. 12 so that its meaning and significance are not diminished.
“We don’t have a celebration on Lincoln’s birthday anymore. I figure this is a good way of celebrating a day that means something. It certainly does mean something,” he said Tuesday.
Cohn, who is battling colon cancer, explained how he and his wife, Mary, have gotten in the habit of reading Our Daily Bread, a column written by Patricia Raybon. He read Raybon’s Feb. 12 entry titled “Seen by God,” which talks about how God sees people and their futures even when they cannot see it for themselves.
“I believe we are all near-sighted. We can see things up close and can’t see things far away. They are blurry. The only people we know are our immediate family and those who take care of us when we are infants,” Cohn said. “As we grow older, we are fitted with that pair of glasses if we are raised in the right way. Then we begin to see things far away. If we stay on the right path, we will see God.
“I know what I am fighting now is in God’s hands. God is watching,” he said.
After prayers were offered by representatives of local schools and businesses, city and county law enforcement, city officials and clergy, Rev. Lance Blackwell, who led the Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer observance, asked Cohn to the front of the room again so that local ministers could surround him and pray for his healing.
On behalf of the Cleveland Historical Society, Pat Mange (right) accepts an official proclamation for the Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer from Cleveland Mayor Otis Cohn (left). Officiating over the event was the city’s Chaplain Lance Blackwell (center). 
Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard discusses the need for prayer in the nation during a recognition of Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer on Feb. 12 at the Cleveland Civic Center. Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader (right) led a prayer on behalf of first responders and military. Pictured with them is LCSO Deputy Castro (center). 
Dr. Jeff Burke, superintendent of Splendora ISD, leads a prayer for schools, educators and school personnel and the community during a recognition of Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer on Feb. 12 at the Cleveland Civic Center. Pictured with Burke are Rick Hartley, superintendent of Shepherd ISD, and Dr. Marc Keith (right), superintendent of Tarkington ISD. Dr. Darrell Myers, superintendent for Cleveland ISD, was unable to attend. 
Don Vickers, CEO of Emergency Hospital Systems, leads a prayer on behalf of businesses in the Cleveland community at a recognition for Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer on Feb. 12 at the Cleveland Civic Center. Vickers shared a story about a patient whose foot was saved thanks to the quality work performed by physicians at the Cleveland Emergency Hospital using a 3-D printer. 
City officials and clergy gather after a recognition of the Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer on Feb. 12 at the Cleveland Civic Center. Pictured left to right are Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard, Pastor Henry Hollis of Galilee Baptist Church, Cleveland City Manager Kelly McDonald, Cleveland Mayor Otis Cohn, Cleveland Councilwoman Marilyn Clay, Will Carter with the office of U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, Carolyn McWaters and Robert Reynolds with the Cleveland EDC, and Rev. Lance Blackwell, chaplain for the City of Cleveland.