Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day--Really?

Well, here it is!  Another Valentine's Day.  I don't know how anyone could have not been aware of it with all the commercials and advertising.  I'd just like to think about it for a minute.  No one really knows when Valentine's Day began and exactly why, but one story says that Valentine was a  priest who married people in secret during a time when marriage was forbidden in Rome.  Eventually, he was found out, imprisoned, and after a time in prison was put to death for refusing to renounce his religion.  The Pope created a religious holiday to commemorate this man.  From this, our present day Valentine's Day has come.


I agree, that remembering our loved ones is very important.  But I wonder if St. Valentine would be happy with what has been done in his honor.  Surely he would be pleased with the love and affection to friends, family, wives, husbands, children that is shown on this day, but what would he say about the commercialization of the day?  Wouldn't he tell us that we should be showing this love and honor EVERY day?  I have a friend who is boycotting Valentine's Day as a way of reminding all of us that perhaps we should shift our focus from one day to 365 days.  Maybe instead of buying expensive presents we should get up each day and look for ways to tell our special someone(s) how much they mean to us. 


I'm not boycotting Valentine's Day.  I love this day and I try to use it as a check-point.  How have I done over the past year in showing the people closest to me that they are important in my life?  As Garth Brooks says, "If tomorrow never comes, will they know just how much I loved them?"  I don't think you can do that in one day a year. 


I hope that you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I hope that it is full of love and honor and respect for you and all of your loved ones!  I wish the same thing for you and yours tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day.....

                                                Happy Valentine's Day!

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