Love is like a rose, both fragile and everlasting.  Take care of the rose and take care of your love.

     Like the rose, love has thorns.  If you're not careful and move too quickly, love will prick you and make you bleed.  Move slowly in love and cherish it.  Gently embrace love's tender touch.

     Like the rose, love blossoms with nourishment.  Too much sun and love will burn out faster.  Just enough sun, and love will last a lifetime.  Attend to your love.  Nourish it and it will grow forever.

     Like a rose garden, your love needs space to grow.  Remove the unsightly weeds from your heart.  Let love reign there.  Give your love room to grow.

     Like a rose, love is beautiful.  Care for love well, and love will blossom around you.

A History of Valentine's Day

     Valentine's Day began as a pagan celebration, called the Lupercalia Festival.  This festival honored the god of fertility, and it was a time to find a prospective mate.  In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan festival.  Trying to install Christianity into the lives of the Romans, he replaced the festival with a lovers' celebration that he deemed morally suitable.  Valentine's Day  was chosen to honor a lovers' saint, probably Bishop Valentine. 

     St. Valentine was martyred for helping persecuted Christians in Rome during the time of Emperor Claudius, about 200 A.D.  While jailed by the Romans, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter.  Before he was executed, he sent his love a note, signed "from Your Valentine."

     During the middle ages, men and women traditionally exchanged elaborately hand-made valentines cards.  These sometimes carried marriage proposals and were never signed--starting the tradition of "the secret admirer."

Some Scriptural Valentines

His banner over me is love. Song 2:4

I have called you by name: you are mine....I will be with you.... Because you are precious in my  eyes and glorious, and because I love you. Is. 43:1, 2, 4 

I love you, O Lord, my strength, O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. My God; my rock  of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold! Ps. 18:1-3 

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not  perish but have eternal life. 
Jn. 3:16 

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no  man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jn. 15:12-13

My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a  child of God and knows God. 1 Jn. 4:7

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and  gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph. 5:1-2 

The love of Christ impels us. 2 Cor 5:14

"Be Mine"

Valentine's Day Traditions

Valentine Cards--The first written valentine is reportedly to be authored by Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415.  He liked to pass the time writing verse to his wife.  First sold in 1840's, now over 1 billion valentine cards are sold each year in the United States.  About 85% of cards are purchased by women, and parents are the most popular recipients.  Today there are over 2,000 greeting card publishers.

Red roses--Red Roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.  Today, millions of boxes of chocolates and bouquets of roses are given by men for Valentine's Day.  Tulips, lilies, and daisies are also popular floral gifts on this day.
 

"I do not regret that I have given myself to love." -- St. Therese of Lisieux 

Thanks, Vicky!  You're a wonderful Sis.

This page has won some awards!

I won Second Place in the SOL Valentine Graphics Competition for the Dragon Kiss Globe at the top of the page.

I won First Place in the SOL Valentine Site competition! Thanks everyone!

© Rose Heart Stained Glass by Blue Hare Graphics.
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©  Dragon Kiss, Be Mine Globe and All other graphics and writings by The Dragon Lord, 2002.
©  "The Faery Woods", by Bjorn Lynne Music

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