. . . about valentine's day

what do you remember about valentine's day?

historically, valentine's day has many starting points; one being that it is a day to remember early christian martyrs named valentine.  one valentine was martyred for his care of couples in 269; legend had it that when weddings were outlawed by the church (yes, this is STILL happening!) for some reason, valentine did the ceremonies in secret, making contact with the couples via notes signed valentine.

it became established as a real holiday in 496 by pope gelasius the first.  it was associated with romantic (courtly) love in the high middle ages by none other than geoffrey chaucer!  by the 15th century, flowers, candy and 'valentine' cards were shared between lovers; today we have target and see's!

last year an all star cast came out with a movie, 'valentien's day'.  so, there you have it.

what do you remember about valentien's day?  red, pink and while paper heart-made cards out of construction paper?  chalky candy hearts with messages like 'i love you' and 'you're sweet' written on them?  red-hots?  chocolate hearts?  mysterious flowers appearing?  roses costing hundreds of dollars?

I remember learning to play post office (now get your minds out of the gutter!) in second grade when we did a unit on the u.s. postal service.  we got to decorate lunch bags and set them on our desks (these became the mail boxes where we lived in class).  we'd have cupcakes and punch for our party...how is it that anyone ever decided that two such sweet things like punch and cake go together?  boxed hearts...they still sell those at target -- they might even actually BE the same hearts from my second grade classroom!

homemade cards, store bought cards.  valentines in every shape and size.  what do they mean?

love.  a way to express what is sometimes difficult to say in person.  love.  sentimental, perhaps.  but deeply meaningful.  where would we be without love?  love is not easy.  love takes work, and can slip through your fingers when you're not paying attention.  even when you ARE paying attention, love can hurt.  deep love is eternal.  with the wind on our face, we can remember that the spirit of love is jesus. 

do you remember your first love?  the love you never thought would end?  the love you never thought possible again?  the love that is inside of you...to give, and also to receive.

if nothing else, remember that every day, not just today, but every day: you are loved, you are appreciated, and you are worth the love that is shared.  and no one, no matter what, is beyond love.  that may seem debatable by some.  but, fortunately, we're not the ones who have the final say.

share love always; don't hold back.  and in those times when love feels so distant, think back upon those handmade cards that perhaps you even made once.  remember that you have the capacity to share all the love that is within you.  what a great love story....you!