Tell it like it is

Life is too short to have sorrow
You may be here today
You may be gone tomorrow.
So you might as well get what you want
Go on and live…
and tell it like it is.

I’m paraphrasing the great love song by Aaron Neville.

Every February 14, across the U.S. and in other places around the world…candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. This day has religious and pagen history.

We celebrate Valentine’s Day because it was one of the many Saint’s Days observed by the Catholic Church. It became a holiday in 496 A.D. and always celebrated on February 14. It was dedicated to the patron saint of romantic causes, St. Valentine. It remained a church holiday until 1969, when Pope Paul IV removed it from the Catholic calendar.

In 1537, it was England’s King Henry VIII (best known for his ways of disposing of wives), that declared February 14th an official holiday. It was another one hundred and fifty years before religious devotional cards became non-religious cards to reflect the change in the holiday.

Also on February 14, the ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage, so honoring her was thought to be a fertility rite. At the feast held the next day, the women would write love letters and stick them in a large urn. The men would pick a letter from the urn and for the next year, pursue the woman who wrote the chosen letter. This custom lasted until the 1700s when people decided their beloveds should be chosen by sight, not luck.

Life is too short, so don’t play games or beat around the bush with the one you love. Tell it like it is. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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