St. Valentine was a priest martyred during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II. His crime was sneaking out to the woods to perform marriages for Christian couples when the empire would rather be feeding them to the lions in the Coliseum. Once thrown into jail he was visited daily by the Jailor’s daughter who he fell in love with. Although he was unable to declare his love for her, Valentine did manage to slip her a note of his affection with a single red rose. Thus the legend that we today know as Valentine’s Day was begun.
The theme that was recaptured during the renaissance was centered around the sacrifice of giving it all up for the one that you love. Then Shakespeare stimulated the masses with the stories of Romeo and Juliet and Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The tragedies of love lost has burned in the hearts of men and women motivating songs, poems and now movies in this last century.
Love is a big deal. It is an inherent need within the soul of every individual. A place or a person to feel completed in, and there is nothing so lonely than living without it and nothing so delightful as living within it. There is nothing so comforting as to be in the midst of it.
And at the end of the day when all is said and done... is there anything more important?
One of the best movies I ever seen was “The Notebook.” It is about an elderly man reading the romantic story of their lives to his aging wife with dementia every day so that she would have a glimpse of the memory of their love. It is a fabulous story of two people who had every reason to be apart and could not “fit” into each other’s lives and yet could not go one with any other. It is about time and circumstance trying to wedge between lovers and how nothing could in the end succeed against the spark and the resilience of true love. The thoughts would not go away, and their affection never waned. Even in their old age he would not let her go, but every day drew her back to her memory of him by reading to her from the story of their lives.
It is a wonderful story and like most wonderful love stories there were times when it did not look so good for the couple. There were times when they had to let that bird fly the nest to see if it would indeed come back.
This week having lost Whitney Houston I was reminded of her song that has always touched that deep part of my heart. There is nothing more Divine than self-sacrifice and putting the needs of another before your own. Like the love of Christ on the cross giving it all up for the ones that He loves, or in the case of the singer knowing that she wasn’t the best thing for the man that she cared for. For anyone who has ever lost anyone or given them up for a greater cause, this is a beautiful Valentine memory.
And a great memoire to Whitney whom we have just lost as well...
I Will Always Love You
If I should stay,
I would only be in your way.
So I'll go, but I know
I'll think of you ev'ry step of the way.
And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
You, my darling you. Hmm.
Bittersweet memories
that is all I'm taking with me.
So, goodbye. Please, don't cry.
We both know I'm not what you, you need.
And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of.
And I wish to you, joy and happiness.
But above all this, I wish you love.
And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I, I will always love you.
You, darling, I love you.
Ooh, I'll always, I'll always love you.
For all of you, I pray that you find real and true love that knows the value of it and remains even in your old age when you can remember it no more on your own.
Kerry Lynne
Always Loyal2U
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