WITH THE ADVENT OF FEBRUARY, thoughts of romantic love fill the mind. After all, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.
And speaking of Valentine’s Day, did you know that there is a lot of confusion regarding its origin? But one thing is certain---we do know who is responsible for keeping it before the public’s eyes---the greeting card, candy, and floral industries.
St. Valentine is the designation for several saints. The most prominent are two martyrs whose feats are celebrated on February 14. One was a priest and the other a bishop. We don’t know a great deal about them, but we do know that they died on the same day!
The custom of sending “valentines” or “love tokens,” usually anonymous, probably had only an accidental connection with St. Valentine. It really owes its origin to a belief held in medieval Europe. It was believed that at the start of the second fortnight of the second month that the birds began to mate. The poets picked up on this, blending mating with love and hence valentines! I only know that when I was a boy, I thought girls were for the birds. Was I on to something? No, I really discovered in my teens that this whole thing about romance is really quite nice.
When Thomas Edison was 38 years old, his wife died leaving him a very lonely man. Six months after her death, Edison began looking for a new mate. He would leave no stone unturned in a systematic search reflecting his scientific nature. Although he liked to be portrayed in the media as a genius who worked in solitude, Edison had quietly assembled a fine research team to search for a new wife.
He hated social events, but dinner parties in the home of friends in Boston helped him meet many candidates at one time. He was proud of this efficient approach. But rather than making a calm, rational choice, he fell head over heals for an 18-year-old young lady from Ohio. She was everything he wasn’t—religious, cultured, and beautiful, plus young enough to his daughter. He threw his normal caution to the wind and acted like a lovesick fool until Mina Miller would agree to marry him. An iron-willed, self-disciplined, workaholic found himself bitten by the love bug. He was unable to concentrate in his research lab and whiled away weeks writing silly notes to a teenager. Finally, after their marriage, Edison settled back into his inventive routine.
Mina wasn’t bothered by Edison’s poor hearing or even his chronic halitosis. She just brushed the dandruff off his coat and fell in love with him. This is the kind of love that sees the best in others. She totally accepted him because love is not always practical or rational.
We do strange things when we’re in love. So does God. He loved us even while we were breaking His laws and heart. His love is not sentimental or theatrical. Neither is it cheap. Rather, it is a deep, quiet, strong love, born of God.
This love is the greatest force in the world—greater than words, than knowledge, even than faith. It alone is able to chase doubt away, banish fear from within, conquer indifference, and send us to our knees.
And speaking of Valentine’s Day, did you know that there is a lot of confusion regarding its origin? But one thing is certain---we do know who is responsible for keeping it before the public’s eyes---the greeting card, candy, and floral industries.
St. Valentine is the designation for several saints. The most prominent are two martyrs whose feats are celebrated on February 14. One was a priest and the other a bishop. We don’t know a great deal about them, but we do know that they died on the same day!
The custom of sending “valentines” or “love tokens,” usually anonymous, probably had only an accidental connection with St. Valentine. It really owes its origin to a belief held in medieval Europe. It was believed that at the start of the second fortnight of the second month that the birds began to mate. The poets picked up on this, blending mating with love and hence valentines! I only know that when I was a boy, I thought girls were for the birds. Was I on to something? No, I really discovered in my teens that this whole thing about romance is really quite nice.
When Thomas Edison was 38 years old, his wife died leaving him a very lonely man. Six months after her death, Edison began looking for a new mate. He would leave no stone unturned in a systematic search reflecting his scientific nature. Although he liked to be portrayed in the media as a genius who worked in solitude, Edison had quietly assembled a fine research team to search for a new wife.
He hated social events, but dinner parties in the home of friends in Boston helped him meet many candidates at one time. He was proud of this efficient approach. But rather than making a calm, rational choice, he fell head over heals for an 18-year-old young lady from Ohio. She was everything he wasn’t—religious, cultured, and beautiful, plus young enough to his daughter. He threw his normal caution to the wind and acted like a lovesick fool until Mina Miller would agree to marry him. An iron-willed, self-disciplined, workaholic found himself bitten by the love bug. He was unable to concentrate in his research lab and whiled away weeks writing silly notes to a teenager. Finally, after their marriage, Edison settled back into his inventive routine.
Mina wasn’t bothered by Edison’s poor hearing or even his chronic halitosis. She just brushed the dandruff off his coat and fell in love with him. This is the kind of love that sees the best in others. She totally accepted him because love is not always practical or rational.
We do strange things when we’re in love. So does God. He loved us even while we were breaking His laws and heart. His love is not sentimental or theatrical. Neither is it cheap. Rather, it is a deep, quiet, strong love, born of God.
This love is the greatest force in the world—greater than words, than knowledge, even than faith. It alone is able to chase doubt away, banish fear from within, conquer indifference, and send us to our knees.
posted by kazookid | 8:31 AM
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