How Do I Love Thee?
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
Chanel Replica HandbagsI love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
- By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The history of Valentine's Day is fascinating reading. For one thing, it is a very old holiday, dating back as far as 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius I abolished an ancient Roman feast called Lupercalia, which was a pagan holiday connected to fertility. In 496, he established a commemorative feast in honor of one of the early Christian martyrs, St. Valentine.
The first valentine poem recorded was written by the Duke of Orleans in 1415 to his wife. In the early 1800s, paper valentines came into us - exquisite handmade messages sent to the lady of one's choice. Before long, printed valentines were available and the custom became established to send Valentine's Day greetings.
Traditionally, it is a day in which lovers express their love for each other with flowers, candy and greeting cards known as "valentines." It was a day to celebrate love and affection between intimate companions. Now it has been extended to family, friends, acquaintances and others.
In Finland, it is called "Friend's Day," in which they remember friends as well as their loved ones. In Slovenia there is a proverb that says, "St. Valentine brings the keys of roots. It is on February 14 that plants and flowers start to grow. Valentine's Day has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the fields and vineyards commences." (Good thing that's not the custom here!)
Mom always told us that it was an old fable that birds mate on February 14. As the cardinals and other songbirds throng the bird feeder, food seems to be the uppermost thing on their mind now.
When we were kids in grade school, Valentine's Day was a thrilling event. Our valentines, handmade and otherwise, were dropped in a cardboard box that had been lavishly decorated in crepe paper and ribbons. As younger children, it was a game to exchange valentines. When we got in the upper grades, we began receiving more romantic ones that made you weak in the knees when you opened them.
I still remember the first mushy valentine sent to me when I was in the eighth grade. It was signed "Love," and I am sure my face flamed when I walked back to my seat. I guess you Replica Blancpain don't forget your first valentine, first kiss and first love.
When I was a young bride and young mother, these outward gestures of affection were extremely important to me. I thought these valentine tokens of flowers, candy, perfume
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