Happy Valentine's Day

Today is the day of Love. St. Valentine's Day draws it's name from one of at least three Christian Martyrs by the name of Valentine. (Take your pick) Begun by the Catholic Church to honor the Martyr(s), it has become the day when lovers pledge their affections to their significant other. Valentine's Day was not linked to romantic love until the Middle Ages when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote this verse in "Parlement of Foules" (1382). Check it out:

"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate]."

Romantic, huh?

This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia (a couple of teenagers at the time). Apparently, thanks to Chaucer, in those days of courtly love, it became fashionable to send cards and letters to loved ones to declare their undying affection for the receipient. Eventually cards, chocolates, and flowers became the standard tokens of affection for "lovebirds".

Back in the late 50's, in my days at Gallaher Elementary School, it was customary for all the kids to exchange Valentine cards with their classmates. Mom would purchase a package of Valentine cards at the dime store, and I would go through the contents of the package, thoughtfully sorting out which one would be addressed to which classmate. We sent cards to the boys and the girls, so I always tried to make sure I picked out the more "macho" greetings for the guys. (even then one had to be careful about that sort of thing!) Then I would carefully look for the most "mushy" of all the cards to single out for that one very special girl in my class. It was usually a different girl each year. After all, puppy love can be a very fickle thing.

I've been sending Valentine cards and gifts to Linda for thirty eight years now. It's a little unfortunate that her birthday and Valentine's Day fall only a week apart. It's hard to decide what to give her on each of those special days. Which gift is the most "special" and should it be given on her birthday or Valentine's Day? I'm always careful about what kind of card to send her. She likes the funny ones, (and I get her one of those from time to time) but I have learned that she really likes the "mushy" ones. She carefully reads the verses, so I don't just grab one off the card display at the drugstore. This requires a careful perusal of everything on the rack, to pick that ONE appropriate message.

This year may be the first that I haven't given her a heart shaped box of chocolates - but it is still early in the day, so maybe I can still pick one up. She rarely ever asks for anything, so I took note the other night when, while looking through a Macy's mailer we had received, she said, "I really would love to have this." I won't go into details here, but it wasn't really something I would have thought of as a Valentine's Day gift. "Romantic" or not, I decided that I'd better brave the slick highways to Huntington Mall and pick it up for her. I'm looking forward to seeing her reaction when she comes down to get her coffee this morning and finds the big box there in the kitchen.

Normally I get roses for her on this special day. Red or pink roses are her favorite. This year, however, I decided to try something different. I heard someone talking the other day about Valentine gifts and the light bulb came on over my head. Instead of the regular roses, how about sending her the kind of flowers she carried in her bridal boquet? So, sometime today, Linda should receive a big basket of Daisies delivered to her office, along with a note that nearly made the florist cry. (I do have my moments)

Valentine's Day also has taken on another special meaning for us over the years. It is the birthday of my brother, Bruce and our daughter in law, Michelle. The next day (Feb. 15th) is the birthday of both our son, Jay, and Linda's younger brother, Bob. Hallmark and American Greetings do a pretty good business in our family on the first two weeks of February!

With all this talk of love, I think it is appropriate today to mention the greatest Valentine message ever sent. I'm cutting it from an email I received yesterday, and pasting it to this post . (I hope it comes out ok, because sometimes this cut and paste stuff doesn't seem to work right on this blog format) It is a very simple, but beautiful love message that everyone needs to hear. It comes from the one who loves us more than we can imagine.

For God so loV ed the world,
That He gA ve
his onL y
BegottE n
SoN
T hat whosoever
Believeth I n Him
Should N ot perish,
But have E verlasting life.'
John 3:16

(well, it worked on the composition page, but came out garbled with the colors mixed up after I posted it. Anyway I hope you get the message)

Have a very special Valentine's Day. Know that God loves you!