LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Love is in the air
Everywhere I look around
Love is in the air
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes…
– John Paul Young
Valentine’s Day is a day we set aside to think about love. We kiss, we dance, we eat chocolate, we smell flowers, and we see that funny guy wearing a diaper while gripping a bow. February 14th is Cupid’s day. In Roman mythology Cupid is the god of desire, affection, and erotic love.
Valentine’s Day can trace its roots back to the third century when a man by the name of Valentine was alive and either sent a love note from his prison cell signed from your Valentine to a young woman he fell in love with, or was out helping rescue tortured Christians from horrible Roman prisons. And then, some say the Roman Emperor at the time decided that single men made the best soldiers so he outlawed marriage for young men. Mr. Valentine thought this was unfair and secretly married young couples until he was caught and killed. The origin of Valentine ’s Day is a little murky. All we know is it is a day set aside for love.
Romantic love is exciting. (I'm a big fan) It’s featured on television, radio and in many popular books. Yet, we know that romantic love is only one type of love that humans experience. In fact, the Greek language has at least four words for love representing friendship, affection, romance, and unconditional love. And Webster’s dictionary states that love is the “affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.”
A couple weekends ago there was occasion to celebrate love romantically as well as in the larger way of reaching out to our neighbors. A Chocolate Affair was a fundraising event held at and sponsored by Old National Bank downtown Evansville. There was music, dancing, chocolate, and pretty flowers. The money raised helps the Lampion Center, an agency that provides counseling, adoption, and community outreach services for children and families in Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick Counties. The Lampion Center is one of many social service agencies that we are fortunate to have in our area.
While romance has its place in our lives, especially around Valentine’s Day, remember the other form of love and get involved in the many charitable organizations in your area. There are people that need us to care-- to be the best of what we are. Let’s love!
No comments:
Post a Comment