Dear Grandkids,
Happy Valentine’s Day!
My guess is that you know about this day and “celebrate” this day but do not know how it originated. So let me tell you a story.
The history is somewhat murky but the story goes like this. A man named Valentine served as a bishop or priest in the Catholic Church in third-century Rome. The Roman emperor at the time, a man named Claudius, decided that single men made better soldiers. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died. Therefore, he banned soldiers from being married. Valentine, however, continued to perform the weddings of young soldiers who were in love, so Claudius had Valentine imprisoned. While imprisoned, Valentine purportedly fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Valentine sent her a card and signed it, “Love, your Valentine.” On February 14, 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution: beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage.
In the United States, Valentine’s Day has become a huge commercial enterprise. Over 1 billion Valentine cards are exchanged and more than 58 million pounds of chocolate are sold. But here are the lessons I want you to remember each year as this day is celebrated…
1) Always take a stand for what you believe in – Just as Valentine defied the emperor regarding his edict about marriage, taking a stand for what is right is ALWAYS a good thing.
2) Doing the right thing is rarely the easy thing – And sometimes the consequences of doing what is right is painful. But do what is right anyway.
3) Marriage is a sacred relationship – As you get older and consider marriage don’t forget that God is the One who has designed marriage to be a blessing to you and to remind people of our relationship with Him – The Blessed One.
I hope you have a most excellent Valentine’s Day and..
Never ever forget that you are very loved!
Pop Pop
