Whole Lotta LOVE!

Happy Valentines Day! Even one of the Super Bowl ads got into the spirit of "Agape' love. You have probably heard of the seven types of love, loosely based on the writings of Plato and Aristotle, including Agape. They are:

1. Philia - friendship

2. Storge - (stor-gae) familial such as parent child

3. Agape - Universal, to all

4. Eros - Physical attraction

5. Ludas - Flirty

6. Pragma - Shared duty

7. Philautia - Self love

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged, all in the name of St. Valentine. It Is a virtual Festival of Love. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from?

What's not to like about a day that is an opportunity for us to express our affection with hand made cards, chalky tasting conversation hearts and gifts? The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day.

It is not an 'official' Holiday anywhere in the world, but since the 14th century, Western Christians held a spring feast day honoring an early Saint named Valentinus. Stories are told of a Christian martyr who may have healed his jailer's blind daughter and sent a letter to her from, 'her Valentine' and there are also stories that he may have married couples against the Emperors wishes, saving the men from military service.

According to Merriam Webster; the modern Catholic church removed St. Valentine from their calendar in 1969, citing a lack of verifiable information of his miracles Modern Western culture has continued to celebrate it as a day of expressing Romantic love. ( I personally love the days after when the chocolates are marked down.)

Go grab some flowers and some confections ( to the left you see selections from Norman Love out of Florida) and of course a card and some chocolates. (If you are in the Triangle NC area, I suggest Vidieri, or Escazu - both received mentions in the Wall Street Journal last month), and spread a whole lotta love!

The red heart shaped diamond ring above sold in 2014 at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong and is a total budget buster at $5.09 million