Monday, February 13, 2006
St Valentine's Day
In just matter of time, St Valentine's Day would have crept up on us. You'll get to see maniacal men trying their darnest to get gifts for their other halves. What is this day about anyway?
St. Valentine's Day falls on February 14, and is the traditional day on which lovers in certain cultures let each other know about their love, commonly by sending Valentine's cards, which are often anonymous. The history of Valentine's day can be traced back to a Catholic Church feast day, in honor of Saint Valentine. The day's associations with romantic love arrived after the High Middle Ages, during which the concept of romantic love was formulated.
The influential Gnostic teacher Valentinius was a candidate for Bishop of Rome in 143. In his teachings, the marriage bed assumed a central place in his version of Christian love, an emphasis sharply in contrast with the asceticism of mainstream Christianity. Stephan A. Hoeller assesses Valentinius on the subject : "In addition to baptism, anointing, eucharist, the initiation of priests and the rites of the dying, the Valentinian Gnosis mentions prominently two great and mysterious sacraments called 'redemption' (apolytrosis) and 'bridal chamber' respectively."
The first recorded association of St. Valentine's Day with romantic love was in the 14th century in England and France, where February 14 was traditionally the day on which birds paired off to mate. This belief is mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's Parlement of Foules (1381). It was common during that era for lovers to exchange notes on this day and to call each other their "Valentines". (source: Wikipedia)
Valentine's Day isn't about buying luxurious gifts or professing your love through fanciful means. If you've paid enough attention to the above, Valentine's Day was just about passing romantic notes to one another. And to what? TO SHOW APPRECIATION. And that essentially is what Valentine's Day is all about: to show appreciation for your loved ones. This doesn't just apply to those who are romantically in love, but also to those who would want to show appreciation for family and friends. The true act of love is to express it in the simplest form, be it a peck on the forehead, or just a note that says: Thank you, for being my Valentine's.
I reflect on my Valentine's last year. I regret not being sane enough to profess my appreciation to all those that were with me and all those that I have that are worth being called Family and Friend. Maybe I was just to sucked in by my imagined misery that I failed to even be thankful for who I already have.
This year, is going to be different. I've found peace and comfort in Ling, and I've found that I'm not alone in this world afterall. It's going to be the first of many Feb 14s for us, and we choose to celebrate it in the simplest way, just showing appreciation.
For you Ling...
Valentine Obsession
My Valentine, my love, my all,
How did this come to be?
This romance has me quite beguiled;
You've captivated me.
I breathe you every waking hour,
And when I sleep, I dream
That you are in my arms again...
Sweet fantasies extreme.
I'm sure that I was born for you;
You have me so fulfilled.
You kiss me and caress me,
As wild feelings start to build.
But that's not all, my Valentine;
My mind is also yours.
And for this fine obsession,
It seems there are no cures.
So tell me that you feel the same;
Tell me that you're mine.
Let me know you'll always be
My treasured Valentine.
But I prefer it to be a year round Valentines...
Year-Round Valentines
I love you all through February,
Not just on Valentine's Day;
I cherish you when flowers of spring
Appear in the midst of May.
I adore you in the summer,
When the air is filled with heat;
Without you in my life each day,
I wouldn't be complete.
I treasure you in fall,
When leaves are turning gold;
I loved you when you were younger;
I'll love you when you're old.
I prize you in the winter,
When colder days are here;
I love you, love you all the time,
Every minute of the year.
So I'll give to you this Valentine,
But I want to let you know,
It's not just today, but always,
That I will love you so.
-MBEKI
Take it easy, Keep it real...
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