The Story Of Valentines Day

Do you know how Valentines day came about? It's a beautiful story, really. One of love, honor, courage, and unshakable faith...

The story goes~ During the third or fourth century AD, Claudius II was the Emperor of Rome. He had grown very powerful and his empire very large. He needed to build up the army to defend the land he had acquired. In doing so, he decided that single men made better soldiers, since they didn't have any family ties. So, he declared that no young men could marry.
Valentine was a priest during this time, and continued marrying young couples despite the law of Emperor Claudius. When Claudius heard of this, he had Valentine imprisoned. In an effort to allow Valentine to redeem himself, Claudius gave him the option to denounce the Lord, and take the faith of the Roman gods. In an incredible act of devotion, Valentine refused, held strong in his faith, and was sentenced to death.



While awaiting execution, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of the jailer. He wrote letters professing his love for her while in prison, and grew very fond of her over time.
Sadly, on February 14, Valentine was martyred for his crimes.
On the day of his execution, he wrote one final letter to his love, telling her of his devotion. At the end of the letter, he affectionately signed it ~Love, your Valentine.

So, in honor of a man who gave his life for his faith, we celebrate his great love by sharing our love with each other. Nice, huh? I love that story.