Happy Friday, everyone! I know that some of you are going to be alone for Valentine’s day tomorrow. Understandably it is a rough time of year with signs of love all around. I would like to encourage all of you to do something nice for someone tomorrow, someone you know will be alone or needs cheering up. It might be someone with a broken heart, but it might also be someone lonely, sick, afraid.
If there is some way for you to give from your heart tomorrow, it will be appreciated and your heart will be filled with love and contentment from bringing joy into someone else’s life.
This doesn’t have to be something grand or something that costs money. E-cards are free and can brighten up someone’s day! Writing a real letter or bringing someone a card (the dollar store here has cards 2/$1.00!!) is a great way to show someone you care. Just sit and have a conversation with someone who needs the company!
Open your hearts to someone, somewhere out there! Don’t sit in bitterness and tears because another Hallmark holiday is passing you by. Now, of course, we hope that you are joining us for our Erzulie’s Valentine’s Day Ritual. That obviously isn’t going to take up your whole day! So I encourage you to make plans! If you plans can include brightening someone else’s day, it will be a great day for you both!
St. Valentine’s Day is about giving, sharing love, remembering the meaning of love in all of its forms. I copied in below a little bit of the folklore about St. Valentine from goodworksonearth.org. I have heard a few different versions of the St. Valentine story, but this is a nice one and captures the idea of what different kinds of love exist for all of us to embrace. Whether the story is folklore or fact, it is still a reminder of the love that lives in all of our hearts, Valentine’s or not!
I wish for love of all kinds for all of you!
Love,
Mambo Samantha Corfield
ST. VALENTINE’S DAY – How It All Began
The story of Valentine’s Day begins in the third century with an
oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The
emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The Christian was Valentinus.
Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship the state religion’s
idols, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate
with Christians.
But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ, and not even
the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs.
During the last weeks of Valentinus’s life a remarkable thing
happened. One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome knocked at
Valentinus’s door clutching his blind daughter in his arms. He had
learned of Valentinus’s medical and spiritual healing abilities, and
appealed to Valentinus to treat his daughter’s blindness. She had
been blind since birth.
Valentinus knew her condition would be difficult to treat but he gave
the manhis word he would do his best. The little girl was examined,
given an ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits were scheduled.
Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his
daughter, Julia, might also be brought to Valentinus for lessons.
Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read
stories of Rome’s history to her. He described the world of nature
to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw
the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found
comfort in his quiet strength.
‘Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?’ Julia said one day.
‘Yes, my child, He hears each one, ‘he replied.
‘Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night?
I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you’ve
told me about!’
‘God does what is best for us if we will believe in Him,’ Valentinus
said.
‘Oh, Valentinus, I do believe,’ Julia said intensely. ‘I do.’ She
knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.
Several weeks passed and the girl’s sight was not restored. Yet the
man and his daughter never wavered in their faith and returned each
week.
Then one day, Valentinus received a visit from Roman soldiers who
arrested him, destroyed his medicines and admonished him for his
religious beliefs. When the little girl’s father learned of his arrest
and
imprisonment, he wanted to intervene but there was nothing he could do.
On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia –
knowing his execution was imminent. Valentinus asked the jailer
for a paper, pen and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and
handed it to the jailer to give to his blind daughter. He urged her
to stay close to God, and he signed it ‘From Your Valentine.’ His
sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 AD, near
a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.
When the jailer went home, he was greeted by his little girl. The
little girl opened the note and discovered a yellow crocus inside.
The message said, ‘From your Valentine.’ As the little girl looked
down upon the crocus that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant
colors for the first time in her life! The girl’s eyesight was restored!
A miracle!
He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It
is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near
his grave.
Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and
friendship. In 496 Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as Saint
Valentine’s Day. On each Valentine’s Day, messages of affection,
love and devotion are still exchanged around the world.
