Emotional Overload

Jude 1: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
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Well how was everyone’s Valentines day? Good? Good.

I personally think that it is one day that is way overrated. Did you ever notice that as soon as the Christmas stuff goes down in January that they start loading up the shelves with everything Valentine?

From teddy bears, to chocolates, to balloons, to flowers. Simply over stuff the shelves and people will have Valentine’s Day shoved down their throat so much that they can’t miss it! Take that, consumer.

I’ve looked at the legends behind February 14th and some sound outrageous but others sound plausible. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men (gasp) — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

St. Valentine would HAVE to be of the male species wouldn’t he? It seems more believable that a woman, whose heartstrings play the tune of love daily would be the reason behind this day of love but no, a man is to blame.

According to yet another legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.

Do you see what I’m getting at here? Are we humans that gullible to put our whole being behind a day that was in essence began as a pagan ritual? We have Cupid the god of love, St. Valentine, the bearer of tidings of love, put them together, you have another pagan holiday thrown at your feet.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well because, you see, we’re writers and we have the imagination of the ancients. We can create, spread and make immortal legends of our past too. Of course they more than likely won’t make a holiday where you have hundreds of thousands of dollars spent but hey, the story is there at your fingertips waiting to come alive.

I want today to be St. Joan of Arc Day! Now let me get my fingers tapping and make a story out of it, create a legend and voila! Create a legend. Enjoy the 21st century.

So what did I do for St. Valentines Day? I attended church, came home and had nachos. End of story. (Oh, I wrote a LOVE poem, but I do that all the time and for any occasion.)

Remember this, you don’t need one day to be put aside to give, share or feel love! But, I guess we humans of the 21st Century do need a day to be reminded to love.

Uh oh...better look out...here comes Peter Cottontail and the Lucky Charm leprechaun.