The Valentine Tradition

Traditions are wonderful and I love the Valentine’s traditions. Originally Valentine’s Day was a religious observance of the Catholic Church celebrating three Christian martyrs who were all named Valentine. The first of the Valentines was martyred in AD 269. No one knows much about how or why the three were martyred or why they received sainthood so in 1969 the Valentine feast day was dropped from the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints. 

But in the middle ages the feast day became associated with romantic love so that by the time the Catholics dropped the day from their calendar, it had been firmly established in the culture. Today traditions such as taking Valentines to school to give to everyone has pushed the love we celebrate on Valentine’s day beyond romantic love to celebrating love in general—love for friends, for family, for life.

Traditions such as this give us a chance to celebrate the good in life. Specifically the Valentine tradition helps us stop and think about what love means and how it blesses our lives. If you concentrate on how many people love you, it can be depressing, but if you concentrate on how many people God has given you to love, it can fill you to overflowing with happiness and joy.

So I'm thinking today of all of you, of all the friends I've had throughout my life, for all my family, and especially for Mr. J. So many people to love!