Valentine's Day

With Valentine’s Day this week, I have been thinking about that special day and how to celebrate it.  I wasn’t sure how or when it started, but I remembered hearing something about someone named Valentine.  So, I did what I like to do when I don’t know or remember something.  I do a Google search.  I found out a little bit about the origin of Valentine’s Day.

In 270 A.D., the Roman emperor Claudius II didn’t want the men to marry during the time of war, thinking that unmarried men would be better warriors.  Bishop Valentine went against these orders and performed secret weddings.  This went on until his execution on Feb. 14^th.    So, Valentine’s Day is really a celebration of love and marriage.

I heard the other day that Valentine’s Day should be called “Single Awareness Day,” since so many unmarried people struggle with a day that celebrates the one thing that is elusive to them.  I am sure that there are many people out there who do not enjoy Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day is another day that is a sad day for some, especially for those women who would like to be mothers but have not had the opportunity.

To me, Valentine’s Day is a day to make heart sugar cookies, decorate my home with lots of hearts, and eat chocolate.  When my kids were little, I loved to do special foods for holidays. Sometimes I would make pink biscuits or pancakes for breakfast on Valentine’s Day. We often had red gelatin hearts for dinner, red punch to drink, and heart shaped desserts.  I would try to remember to put a little something special in their school lunches, such as a note or card to say “I love you”.  I also remember making heart necklaces or hair bows for the girls to wear on Valentine’s Day.  I think that holidays are a great excuse to do a few out of the ordinary things.  I hope that is something that my girls remember about their growing up years.

I can’t do much for those people out there who are lonely and sad on Valentine’s Day, but I hope that maybe I can do a little something for someone.  A note of affection or appreciation, a plate of cookies left at their door, a quick text or email to a friend, etc.  Maybe I can help someone feel remembered and loved on the day that we celebrate love.  We all want to feel loved, even if we don’t have much romance in our lives.  I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, that you feel loved, and that you can help someone else feel loved.  XOXO

~Gayle