As I was sipping on my coffee this morning, I realized it was Valentine’s day today!! Wow my days are so off lately . . . . So I started thinking about it and besides the typical chocolate, teddy bears, roses, e-cards and champagne, I asked myself what does Valentine’s day really mean?

As I started searching I found a wonderful story behind what we call Valentine’s Day.  I had no idea it actually originated from something so meaningful.

The celebration of the day began with the life and death of a man which makes it kinda ironic.   A bishop by the name of Valentine stood against an Emperor’s decree that Roman soldiers could not marry. He married them in secrecy because he thought the Emperor’s edict was wrong and went against the glory of young love. Valentine’s acts were discovery. Label treason, he was martyred. In memory of Valentine’s deeds, Pope Gelasius declared him a saint and the day of his execution, February 14th, became known as Valentine’s Day.

In ancient times, Valentine’s Day originally marked the remembrance of the man. The meaning over time years after his death, young men offering notes of affection to young ladies they admired. By the Middle Ages, the Day was recognized as the holiday of courtship and love.

 

Chapter 5:
…seeds are invisible. They sleep deep in the heart of the earth’s darkness, until some one among them is seized with the desire to awaken. Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin–timidly at first–to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun.