Saint  Valentine

 

           Legend has it, that Saint Valentine was a priest living near Rome, at a time when the church was enduring great persecution.   He did  his ministry to help the Christians to escape the persecution, and he also provided them with the sacred opportunity, such as marriage, which was outlawed by the Roman Empire at that time. 

     Saint Valentine is recorded to have performed Christian weddings for the soldiers who were forbidden to marry. The Roman Emperor ordered that this not be done, so that he could  grow the army.  This Emperor believed that married men did not make for good soldiers.
         According to the legend, in order to remind them of God's love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians, Saint Valentine is known to have cut hearts from the skin of a sheep or goat that was then prepared for writing on, to the soldiers and persecuted Christians.  This is probably when the idea of hearts came into existence, and the widespread use of hearts on Saint Valentine's Day.   
      All of that, brings me to this point.  Let us celebrate you, today.  Whoever reads this, you are celebrated today.  With that being said,  Make it a Great day today.