Valentine's Day

The origins of Valentine’s Day are as numerous as conspiracy theories about area 51.  The most popular is that it was named after a saint named Valentine.  There were in fact 3 saints named Valentine and they were all martyred.  One was alleged to have signed a letter, “From your Valentine.”   Other than that, one is as likely to have spread the holiday as any other, but it is unlikely.   A more plausible explanation is that the Christian church chose the date for St. Valentine’s feast day on the same day as the Roman pagan festival of Lupercalia, a festival of fertility.  I’ll skip the gross part but all the single women would put their name on a stone and place it in a large urn.  Then all the single men would pick a stone blindly and he would be paired with that woman for the next year.  It often resulted in marriage.  Today we have modernized the day like every other holiday.  For the man he sees an opportunity to show his significant other how much they mean to him.  This can involve candy, cards, flowers, jewelry and of course a meal at a nice restaurant.  It’s all about making that person feel special.  In turn they’ll make you feel special too.  It’s funny though.  As you age together you find you don’t need all that stuff to make each other feel special.  Just some flowers and a card will do the trick.  You know how much you love each other.  In the end, that’s what this day’s come to mean.  This is that day when you’re remined to stop your busy life and say, “I love you.”  If you are lucky enough to have a special person in your life, cherish them, not just today but every day you are lucky enough to have them.