Is Valentine’s Day just for Lovers? Is it just for the the young or the single? Singles? That is what the Greeting Card publishers, Songwriters, Poets, Florists and Chocolatiers seem to suggest. I have my own thoughts about how this holiday may best be celebrated but thought that I would do some research into the history of Valentine’s Day, fully expecting to find some deeper meaning as in an all-encompassing love for mankind. If that ever was the central message of St. Valentine’s life or of the Catholic Church in declaring this Holy Day, it appears that no one really knows! Stranger still is that there is apparently great dissension among historians (both in and out of the Church) as to which St. Valentine that February 14 is intended to celebrate! Did you know that there are at least 3 different saints named Valentine or Valentinus? Apparently, numerous legends and theories abound about the who, what, when, and why concerning the origin of this holiday. But the one thing they all seem to have in common is that the Greeting Card companies got it right and that Valentine’s Day is solely intended to celebrate Romantic Love.
Still, it’s a wonderful opportunity to remember to give our love, our compassion, our forgiveness and our patience to all who’s paths cross ours on this day and on all days for that is the only pathway to peace, within ourselves and within our world.
The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others. – Vincent Van Gogh
Free Icons of the Day
The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). Create Commons license applies (see sidebar for details)
IconDoIt 