“Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby—awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.”
Joan Crawford once said that love is a fire, but whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell and I felt that.
Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure.
According to history.com, 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. 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.
Another legend says that an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself right before his death, after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailer’s daughter who visited him during his confinement. It is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400.
READ MORE: Victorian-Era Valentines Could Be Mean and Hostile
Free stories online:
…The blue shade of his eyes doesn’t exist anywhere else in any universe. It only exists inside of him and when he’s calm and content, his eyes deepen and darken just a tiny bit. No one else can see it but me. I watch him so closely all the time. I soak him in. His beauty is indescribable to me. I don’t just physically see it; I feel it deeply. I know him so well that the beauty of him–all of him inside and out–overwhelms me. Soulmates. — The story of us
…The sun was setting as they reached the desolate field. Back when they were just teenagers in love, this was their special place. It was a secluded field hidden deep inside of the woods; far, far away from anywhere. That was its beauty. They used to come here often to love, to talk, to laugh, to cry, and to live. — My happy Valentine
REMEMBER ME is out in audio!
Sample:
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I am giving away an audiobook to one special Valentine. To claim your gift, you must email sanela@sanelajurich.com, and I will send you a free code to your own copy of Remember Me. In order to listen, you do not need to have an account with Audible. All you need is your Amazon sign-in information. Claim your code and listen for free!
Happy Valentine’s Day!