Say 'Yes' today if asked to be a Valentine

Will you be my Valentine?  That question will be asked many times today. The answer should always be, “Yes.”
Some think Valentine’s Day was invented by the greeting card and candy companies in order to sell more of their wares. Others think it came about a long time ago because of some old guy named Valentine who performed marriages for lovers forbidden to wed. As was the custom in those days, he was tossed in jail. Like all good saints, he performed a miracle by curing the jailer’s daughter of blindness. He also sent her a message and signed it, “from your Valentine.” It’s a good thing he cured her blindness or she wouldn’t have been able to read it. Come to think of it, how did she learn to read so quickly?
This is but one legend attributed to the history of Valentines’s Day. Others say Valentine’s Day started way back in ancient Rome as Lupercalia. This was a fertility festival of sorts and may have been dedicated to the sacred marriage of the gods Zeus and Hera. Zeus and Hera are no longer popular and Pope Gelasius abolished the celebration of Lupercalia sometime between 492 and 496. Popes aren’t known for tolerating non-Christianized holidays.
Since February is such a dreary month, we need a holiday like Valentine’s Day. Sure we had Groundhog Day at the beginning of the month but that is a chancy thing and no chocolate is involved although the groundhog outdid himself this year and predicted an early spring.
Think about how we celebrate Valentine’s Day. We are encouraged to buy chocolate and jewelry for our lovers. We are encouraged to go out to eat. We are encouraged to send lots and lots of Valentine cards.
So we do. Approximately 141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas. Most of these are store-bought cards but the ones that will be saved and tucked away for years will likely be made by hand.
It has been a very long time since I made a Valentine. I prefer to shop in the card aisles, leafing though cards until I find the one that makes me laugh out loud or the one that is perfect for a certain person.
This year I sent cards to the grandchildren. I sent all the cards in one package lest one arrive a day later than the other. Small children don’t understand the sometimes chancy nature of post office delivery.
People also buy lots of chocolate. I am not a fan of boxed chocolates, although I won’t turn them down. We used to be told that chocolate had ingredients that made us feel good; ingredients that promoted love and affection. Now we are told that the amounts of those ingredients are so small that they have no practical effect on the human body.
This new information is probably no more reliable than the data that suggested that chocolate was good for us. Who can honestly say that chocolate doesn’t make them feel better? Not me. I don’t know anybody who would rather receive a stalk of celery than a box of beautifully wrapped chocolates. If the chocolate itself doesn’t make us feel good then the thought behind it certainly does.
That’s what it is really all about. Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate and honor the love and affection we have for each other. We do that with cards and chocolate. The cards make us smile and are tangible proof that someone not only knows we exist but that we are liked and perhaps loved. The chocolate lets us taste that love and affection.
If we also indulge in jewelry for our lovers then that is also a tangible reminder of how much we are loved. Really though, how much jewelry does a person need? Jewelry is nice and will never be turned down but small, everyday acts of kindness mean far more.
When someone asks, “Will you be my Valentine?” always say yes. Dare to affirm the love and affection that we all have for each other. No chocolate, cards or jewelry are required.[[In-content Ad]]