Love's roller coaster: A Valentine

A very nice piece, Jaime. The best written and most thoughtful of any I've read from you, and right on in so many ways.

Here are a couple of my favourite songs for this Valentines day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Beautifully written article, and very nice to see you back in the paper this morning.

I almost forgot about "My Funny Valentine". Here are a couple versions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch... Sublime

Inspirational, Jaime. Thank you. Very nice to read on this Valentine's Day morning. Now I must go kiss the wife again.

I really appreciate this essay.....

So nice to have a special day to remind us All
to Celebrate the Grand Mystery of Love..

Here's to Love!...Cheers to Love!

We strive on..

GrammaConcept wrote:

I really appreciate this essay.....
So nice to have a special day to remind us All
to Celebrate the Grand Mystery of Love..
Here's to Love!...Cheers to Love!
We strive on..

I appreciate your comment. It has long amazed me that we take days off work to "Be Thankful" that seems critical to me. We also have a day to appreciate people we love. I think these are exceptional ideas. It's nice to try to do these things every day, and important to designate a couple days where we "All" take a moment or two to be grateful for the blessings we have.

Jamie,
I enjoyed reading your column this morning.
It really helps start a nice weekend when we can
read a POSITIVE article over our morning coffee.
I'v noticed you write about three positive articles each year and I enjoy every one of them. Thank you.

From this 82 year old great grandmother who has
attempted to instill this positive outlook in my
offspring. Thanks again.

Jaime,

Like The Realist," I enjoy a positive article now and then. Only I think you do more than three a year. But it depends on the meaning of positive. Sometimes a critical piece can simultaneously be positive and hopeful.

Anyway, I just found your Valentine to Karen, which I read aloud to my wife, who appreciated every word...as do I. Amazing how much we resonate with your observations. Maybe happy lovers--to twist Tolstoy--are happy in the same ways.

Thank you, and thanks to the folks who shared such interesting comments.

Valentine was not an early "Catholic" martyr. He was,in fact, an early "Christian" martyr. The story
of Valentine's Day begins in the third century AD.
The Roman emperor was Claudius 11, the "Christian"
martyr was Valentinus. Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and he made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned.
During the last weeks of his life, the jailor asked
Valentinus, a man of learning, to teach his daughter, Julia. Valentinus read stories to her of
Roman history. He taught her arithmetic, the world
of nature, and talked to her about God. She began to
see the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength. Julia was blind, and began to pray that she could
see. She became a believer in the Lord, and one day
while they were praying, a brilliant light filled
the prison cell. Julia cried, "Valentinus, I can
see! I can see!" Valentinus responded with the words, "Praise be to God!" On the eve of his death,
Valentinus wrote a note to Julia urging her to stay
close to God and he signed it "From your Valentine."
On February 14, 270 AD, near a gate that was later
named Porta Valentini in his memory, he was executed. He was buried in what is now the Church
of Praxedes in Rome. Julia planted a pink-blossomed
almond tree near his grave. Today, there is still
an almond tree there to symbolize her deep love and
friendship with Valentinus, the one who led her to
faith in Jesus Christ.