A Day of Love

A Day of Love

The woman I desire, adore and willingly profess my love to.

Two days ago my wife was talking with a friend. The friend asked "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?" Carolyn said something like "We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day." This, I think, caught  the friend off guard. She responded:  "What?? You don't celebrate it???"  It was if I could hear her thinking, through the phone: "It's about love, caring, being with the ones who you care about. You're SUPPOSED TO do something special! You're SUPPOSED TO buy flowers and chocolate and go out to eat. You're SUPPOSED TO make cards, or buy them, and profess your love to the one person that you want, no, NEED to be with. Your soul mate."

I remember back in my elementary school days getting excited that I could finally send a love letter to Becky. She was that one girl that caught my eye. She was the first girl that didn't have the cooties; or at least the strain that could have any effect on me. She was the one for me. But God forbid anybody know about it. If ANYONE found out that I had a crush on a girl then she would surely be infected with a "dangerous for Rich" strain of the cooties.

I digress, I finally had a chance to profess my love, my undying infatuation and ask her to be MY Valentine. Though to be fair and still prevent the cooties from getting me I had to buy cards for everyone in the class. Including Troy, that weird kid who picked his nose and smelled of boiled cabbage.

That was the beginning of it all, as I remember... my discovery of LOVE!

Found a little Love on the beach one day.

As I sat there listening to my wife and her friend, I thought to myself "Is Valentine's Day just a commercial 'Hallmark' day? Is it a farce? Or is it about Love?" I remembered something about St. Valentine so I sat down and did some Googling. Is that a verb now? Anyway, I started to look things up and was even more confused. I guess that is why as a child you are told "it is a day for love" -- just to keep it simple.

There are many things that are tied to St. Valentine's Day, and I will try to make it quick. There were three St Valentines that I found. About two of which very little is known. The first Saint Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for Roman soldiers, who were forbidden to marry, and for ministering to Christians. Differing accounts state that he was executed, or buried, on February 14th.

February 15, has an interesting history as it was Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman God of Agriculture. On this day priests would sacrifice a goat in the cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf. The priests would then take the bloody hide and slap women and the crop fields with it to increase their fertility... Ooookkaaaayyy....

At some point, if I gather, Lupercalia was outlawed at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14th, St. Valentine's Day.  February14th was also viewed as the beginning of bird mating season, so it should be a day for romance.

Really?

So let's see if I got this straight:  A priest is executed for preforming his duty; that event falls the day before a religious day of fertility. After the Christians take over, as revenge, they outlaw Lupercalia and make a Christian holiday to help stomp out the old Roman beliefs. Coincidentally birds get it on on the 14th of February so that is a sign that the professing of Love should be on this day. By the early 1900's improvements in printing technology and cheaper postage rates pave the way for the "Hallmark" revolution to happen.

A little love from my wife.

Regardless of why or how it came into being, St. Valentine's Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. A lot of people have decided that it is a good day to celebrate their Love for one another, and with the weather like it was, with the sun out and the birds chirping (and getting it on), why not? Works for me!!

Does it really matter where it came from as long as it is about Love and caring? The only major change that I would make is that we have many more Valentine's Days through the year. Like every Tuesday. That would be a good day for me. Or maybe Wednesday, after all as a kid it always sounded like "wedding day" to me.

We should show Love to that person or people who we care about, and do it openly and often. Though we don't have to make it so cookie cutter. Spend some time and make something. Something that they will cherish, something that will remind them of your love for each other. But don't do it once a year. Do it once a week. Now I think that I am going to do my part for Lupercalia, as that is today. Though I'll pass on the goat sacrifice.

 

 

Yes, in case you missed it. I love this woman right here.

I leave you with this:  In your quest for love...

Enjoy the journey...

Rich