To My Valentine

Ah, the day of Love. Or for some, the day of eternal torment and reminder of how "horrible" life is as a single person. I thumb my nose at that, but I will say I am one of the majority, in being single that is. So far, today has been quite lovely, even without a beau on my arm. I've gotten a beautiful (and orange!!!) rose from my dear brother core, been surprised with my favorite candy bar (butterfinger if you're wondering...) and all around had a very peaceful and joyful day. One of those accumulatively wonderful days. What is there possibly to be upset about???

I was doing a little research into the history of Valentine's day, and it's quite intriguing that this day of "love" has had such a BLOODY history. I'm sure many of us has heard of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of Prohibition days, but the whole feast day STARTED with the shedding of blood. St. Valentine was a priest in the Roman empire, during the reign of Claudius. Claudius was looking to amass a large amry for conquest, but was infuriated to find that many young men refused to volunteer to join because they didn't want to leave their wives and familes. So Claudius's solution? Dissolve all existing marriages and cancel every engagement. This of course drove the public crazy, but there were some who secretly rebelled, all in the name of love. Valentine, along with a fellow priest, Marius, was one such "rebel with a cause". He secretly married dozens of young couples, until his arrest around the year 270 AD. Sentenced to death for his "treachery", Valentine spent the remainder of his life in a tower, with couples in love throwing encouraging notes and flowers through the bars of his cell window. The story goes that he brefriended a guards daughter, and the day of his death, sent her a letter signed, "from your Valentine". Supposedly this is how the tradition of sending gifts and cards began. 

Granted, the day was originally a pagan holiday to celebrate Juno, goddess of women and marriage. But who says holidays can't change?

By far though, my favorite story of "rebellious love" is that of a son, one obedient even unto death, willing to die for the ones that he loved: us. The greatest love story of all time, that of the cross, still rings true today, for single, engaged, married, anyone. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world (as many like to believe), but to save the world through Him." - John 3:16-17

Much love to all, both friends, family, and others, 

~Char