Happy Valentine's Day

Good Morning!  I hope you all have wonderful plans with your loved ones today.  I had to do a little research for today's post because I really had no idea exactly why we celebrate Valentine's Day.  Don't get me wrong, a day that celebrates love is a day that is a-okay in my mind, but I just never really knew the thinking or reasoning behind it.  Well, it appears that I am not the only one.  This is one of the things I read on the History channel:
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
And then Wikipedia has a whole page full of mumbo jumbo, (excuse the expression, but it was just too much historical religion for me to wade through) that takes you through a whole myriad of " Saint Valentines" and their poems and how they have affected this lovers holiday.  But one thing is for sure, Valentine's Day is part of a very long history and one that has turned giving cards into an art form.
Today is second only to Christmas when it comes to the giving of holiday cards and men are found to spend about twice as much money on this holiday as women.  Let's not make this holiday all about cards and gifts this year.  Let's remember to celebrate the saints in our lives, the loved ones we hold dear and keep the money in our pockets!!!