Valentine's Day

{Post 44/365: original Post: I AM LOVE}


BREAKING QUESTION of the DAY:
(My friend's group on Facebook-feel free to join the group and the discussion!) 
Who is Valentine, what does he stand for, what is Valentine day to you and how do you feel it 
should be celebrated???

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Saint Valentine is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome.
A brief, probably little known history of Valentine's Day is that the Valentine it was based on is relatively unknown except that he was a martyr and buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome in Italy.
It is also unknown whether the feast of Valentine's was to celebrate him or another of the martyred saints with the same name. 
Valentine was a Roman priest who was martyred during the reign of Claudius II. He was arrested and imprisoned for helping Christians and marrying them which was illegal at the time because they were being persecuted by Claudius.
Many of the current myths and legends about St. Valentine were invented by the writer Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle of friends in England in the fourteenth century. This is when the day first became synonymous with romantic love.

Valentine's to me is a Lover's Day...a day to celebrate the love that you have found and share and maybe a day for those who are less expressive to actually be able to express their love.
Some people who may not express their love in a very strong open, way usually may use the opportunity of Valentine's Day to do something much MORE than they would generally do.
I think maybe that is the true nature of the day.

We have never done anything extremely special on this day. Quite often special for us is just to go out for a nice dinner together and sometimes we exchange a little gift. 
The usual gifts like chocolates, stuffed love animals, cinnamon hearts or other candy are common things we might give each other. Ocassionally we will cook each other a nice dinner and drink some wine and listen to music and just enjoy time with each other. Once in awhile hubby will even buy me a bouquet of flowers to make me happy because I LOVE flowers. This is NOT a usual gift because really hubby thinks flowers are weeds and can never understand why I love something that just dies in a week.
The point for me then is that he doesn't understand, he doesn't care about them but, he loves me enough to know that I do and will buy them for me just to see me smiling and happy.
That is a lovefest in my home! ;)

For me though Valentine's Day was NEVER just for my significant other but, also an opportunity to share with the other special people in my life.
I always enjoyed sending little valentine's to my friends and family as small expressions of my love for them.
I also enjoyed making special Valentine's or love notes for my children and putting them into their lunch bags as a surprise at school. Sometimes I would include a little chocolate heart or some cinnamon heart candies as well.

I am aware that Valentine's Day, like many other holidays is for some people a very sad and depressing day.
Their attention is all focused on the fact that they are alone and don't have a lover to share life with.
I suggest that if that is the state of your life maybe instead of worrying about what you don't have you think about the things you do have or the most important people to you and do something special for THEM.
My best friend did this for me one year and it is my most memorable Valentine's Day and touched me very deeply. I had been married and divorced and it was my first Valentine's alone since being with someone so I was a little sad and depressed myself. So she came over to visit me and brought me a bouquet of yellow sweetheart roses with her. It was so sweet and thoughtful that she was thinking of me that day and it was a very bright spot in a dark period of time for me.
So REALLY, I suggest if you are sad and depressed find someone you care about and SHARE THE LOVE anyway! You NEVER know just how special you might make someone's day! 
Many of us bring our game face, the brave life-is-really-ok-and-I'm-really-ok-too face out into the world on days like this. We don't show how sad or upset or miserable we really feel down deep inside because we don't want to spoil the day for anyone else. Or maybe we don't want to admit that we also care about such a day and would also enjoy the little bits of love and affections that are part of it for so many others.
So...if you know anyone who is alone or lonely I would like to suggest that you share some love with them too.
EVERYONE needs some kind of loving whether it be a hug, a little note of appreciation, or just a smile.
SHARE the LOVE people! Not only will you make someone's day, you might just make your own as well! :)