[MR] [Fwd: [STEPS] happy Valentine's Day to One and Alll!]

[Angela K. Pincha-Neel]

THought all would like this, thus I forwarded! :)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [STEPS] happy Valentine's Day to One and All!
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 10:29:54 -0800
From: Phoenix Turley <tj at tjphoenix.com>
To: steps at antir.sca.org

The History of Valentine's Day
A Romantic prospective...

Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When 
Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those 
with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young, single men -- his 
crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the 
decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers 
in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that 
he be put to death. Other myths say that Valentine was actually killed for 
attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were 
often beaten and tortured.

While in prison awaiting his execution(they wanted to wait for the people 
to forget him and the outrage over his incarceration to die down) Valentine 
fell in love with a young woman -- whom because she was his jailor's 
daughter -- was allowed to visit him during his confinement. They would 
spend long hours discussing life, his faith and why he chose the path he 
chose. While Valentine knew that she admired him, he did not speak his 
growing feelings of Love. For such Love as he felt was best left to those 
who led freer lifes.

The young woman grew to love him very quickly and would visit when er' she 
could. She herself, was going to declare to him the day of his execution, 
her own love for him. Hoping to spare his daughter the grief of the moment, 
the jailor had Valentine's long walk moved up to a day when his daughter 
would be away. One wonders if it was not under the gentle guidance of his 
new found friend... and his compassion and love for the woman.

And so as Valentine prepared to leave this world in search of a better one, 
he wrote a letter to his Beloved and expressed his hopes and desires that 
she would lead a life of Love and Happiness. ... a letter which he signed,
'From your Valentine,'
It is an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind 
the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal 
as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no 
surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular 
Saints in England and France. One can not help but believe that so 
passionate a story, can not be anything but True......


A Happy Valentine's Day to You!!!!!!!!!!
with love and friendship from
Phoenix, Marc, Aria, Gaia, Valkyrie and Kiva.....


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