"Valentine"s Day"

I guess everybody knows what today is; “Valentine’s Day”. Today is the unofficial holiday for lovers everywhere. There will probably be thousands of tons of chocolates, and more flowers than the “Rose Parade” given out in tribute to romance. Some people choose this day to propose or even get married; a great way to never forget an anniversary.

I remember the first time I saw my wife; she was sitting behind a desk in an office hallway, she smiled and we engaged in a little conversation, not much, just an ice breaker, I guess. After our initial meeting, we began having breakfast in the company cafeteria. I didn’t know she was in the middle of a divorce at that time; I thought she was happy, but she wasn’t.

Italian men have great respect for marriage, and I’ll admit, I was disappointed to find out she was “spoken for”; then one day, as I walked past her desk, I noticed that her last name had changed. Then a minor miracle happened; she asked me to help her move to a small apartment, and I did. During the course of the move, she asked if I played cards and I answered to the affirmative. She said she was going to a friend’s house on the following Saturday and asked if I would like to go with her for a friendly game of cards. I accepted. The game was “penny poker”. At this time in my life, I did play poker, but I was used to stakes a little higher than pennies. After an evening of “high stakes” with her, I wanted to spend every waking minute with her, and I practically did. I knew from that night on I wanted her for my bride, and she has been my bride for the last 34 years.

Love makes you ache for the other person unlike any other relationship in your life. The bible says the “two shall become one flesh”, and it couldn’t be said any better. In today’s world, we have, in some cases, cheapened love as a relationship that can be stepped out of when the situation becomes difficult during problem times. The test of love is the importance of self over the importance of the one you say you love. Herman Hesse said “If I know what love is, it is because of you”, and Karen Sunde said, ”To love is to see a glimpse of heaven”; these are honest feelings, well expressed. Jesus told us to “love one another”, and even the Beatles said “All You Need is Love”. The poet Robert Browning really nailed it down with this statement “Take away love and our earth is a tomb”.

I hope you have a special person in your life, a person who completes you in a way no one else could. A dozen roses or a couple of pounds of candy is a small tribute to that person. She holds my heart in her hands every day, she is the reason I smile and the most precious gift God has granted me on this earth. I will close by dedicating this to my sweetheart of these many years with a quote from the Bard, William Shakespeare, “My Heart is ever at your service”.