Today I am so excited to host author, Kathleen Neely where she talks about the history and meaning behind Valentines Day...
It’s Valentine’s Day, and romance is in the air. We set aside a special day to celebrate love. It’s a day for flowers, candy, dinner, and gifts. An evening for a Hallmark flick in front of a cozy fire. A month to read a heartwarming romance.
But why? Where did this celebratory day begin? The origin actually had little to do with romance. It dates back to the 3rd century AD. A Catholic priest, Valentine of Terni, was executed for aiding Christians who were being persecuted. Here’s the link to romance.
Marriage among Christians was banned by Emperor Claudius II because he felt men were reluctant to leave their wives and families to fight for Rome. Valentine defied that order and married Christian couples. His execution occurred on February 14. Upon his death, the church honored him with Sainthood, and Valentine’s Day was born.
Don’t place all of your focus on romance. There are greater needs than a floral bouquet and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. St. Valentine was martyred because of his love for God and for other Christians.
This is what we should remember.
- See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. 1 John 3:1
- Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 1 John 4:7
- We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
- Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:26
‘Show, don’t tell’ is a common catchphrase for writers as they pen their stories. But we can take that beyond the written page. St. Valentine showed his love for Christians in tangible ways. How can we show love to both Christians and those who don’t yet know Christ? How can we meet their physical, emotional, and relational needs? We don’t need a romantic special someone in our lives to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We have the Author of love in our hearts urging us to go into the world, spreading His love. Let’s answer with the words from Isaiah. “Here am I. Send me.” Isaiah 6:8.
Kathleen Neely resides in Greenville, SC
with her husband, two cats, and one dog. She is a retired elementary principal,
and enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and
reading.
She
is the author of The Street Singer,
to be released in February, 2019. Beauty
for Ashes and The Least of These will
be released in 2019. Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through
ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for
her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel,
The Least of These, was awarded first
place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has
numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions.
Kathleen
continues to speak to students about writing and publication processes. She is
a member of Association of Christian Fiction Writers.
Website –
www.KathleenNeely.com
Facebook –
www.facebook.com/kathy.neely.98
Twitter - https://twitter.com/NeelyKneely3628
Check
out her new release:
The Street Singer will be available
February 22. Learn more about it from her website at www.KathleenNeely.com .
Excerpt from The Street Singer
“I
done figured you knew. You wore them questions all over your face. She opened
her water bottle and took a long, slow drink. Here’s what you gotta know. There
ain’t no more Adaline. I’m Adda, my given name. That’s all I am.”
Trisha
nodded but remained unsatisfied. “Can I ask what happened?”
Adda
laughed. “Honey, age happened. You too young to understand. The body goes. The
voice goes. The energy goes.
“I
know, but your records, they sold…maybe millions.”
Adda
chuckled at that. “Well, you be givin’ me too much credit, but yeah, they did
sell back in the day.” Adda looked at her watch and took a bite of her
sandwich. “So, I guess you’re wondering where all my money went.”
Trisha
backpedaled. The bluntness made it sound so callous. “That’s none of my
business, but...”
“You
right there. It ain’t none of your business. But I’ll tell you anyways. My
daddy, he was a sharecropper in Mississippi. We young’uns had to help when we
got big enough to hold a shovel. I never got me past primary schooling. Them
record people knowed it and all them fancy papers I signed didn’t give me much
left over.”
Trisha
gasped. “That’s terrible.”
Adda
looked up from her lunch. “Oh, they treated me good. Real good. Set me up in a
fancy place to live, bought me clothes and food. Dressed me for pictures and
took me to the studio. But they never let me go places where I’d get to talk
and never let me talk in microphones where I went to sing. Didn’t want me
having no friends. I knew they feared my poor schooling would show. Them fancy
papers I signed didn’t leave me much left over.”