Valentined

Because it's that day, I thought I'd make it more mushy-gushy and lovey-dovey for ya'll! 

Love letters.
P.S. Juliet's Balcony in Verona, Italy is believed to be Shakespear's inspiration for his most popular work, Romeo and Juliet. Many place love letters on the wall of Juliet's balcony to profess their love for the one they, well...love! In doing so, it is believed that their love will last forever.

So....

The first time I ever received a "love letter" was in middle school from a boy I did not like. And I don't even remember his name. He gave it to me before I got on the bus to go home. I felt bad for the poor thing, but I have to say it must have taken a lot out of him to write that letter! Now that I think of it, I must have been such a brat because I was incredibly embarrassed about it and never talked to him again. I mean, afterall, the letter said I was "the most beautiful, most perfect woman in the world!" It was sweet. You would have thought it was a self-esteem booster, right? Anyway, now that I'm almost 20 years old and happily engaged, I have learned to appreciate love letters from Ben during the beginning of our dating years. After all, the very first time Ben told me he loved me was through a poem he wrote and recited to me. Even to this day he still writes out his love for me through songs he plays on his saxophone, through his long voice-mail messages that he leaves when I can't answer my phone, and many other things I probably can't remember tonight. So, here I am years later falling for my fiance all over again and writing back to him in many ways!

Goodness, what men will do--and risk! for the women they admire!!

I love it, even though they may or may not get the response they really want!

Here's a famous love letter that is considered to be the first "Valentine." I won't go into much depth, but all you need to know is that this guy (Charles Duke of Orleans) was locked in the Tower of London and wrote a love letter to his wife, calling her his "Valentined" in 1415. Wow. This letter is in a museum collection in case you want to research it, or even visit it if you can! I wish people would stop buying Hallmark cards (although they are very, very cute!!) and sit down with their feathered, quill pens to make a masterpiece of a love letter!

Historians believe that, according to archeological evidence, that the first love letter (it is actually a poem) was created by the oldest recorded civilization. These people are called the Sumerians. Love is everywhere! Love does not seize to be written! I don't think we can escape it! It is written all over! Here's a picture of this ancient, Sumerian poem that was composed 4,000 years ago:

This tablet was to have been written by a priestess for a King she loved so dearly and longed so deeply for and--not to mention, this kind of revealing writing was considered to be very risque in her time!

Here are some of the first lines translated into English (it's breathtaking! I'm warning you!):

English Translation
BRIDEGROOM, DEAR TO MY HEART
Unknown

Bridegroom, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet, Lion,
Dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty,
Honeysweet…

Happy day, everyone! Whether that is a friendship, a relationship, or family you are celebrating...Valentine's Day should enourage us to take a moment and cherish all of the one we love and those who love us. I didn't get to spend today with Ben, but with my grandma because he was working and going to school all day--but we celebrated it yesterday with homemade cupcakes and a little bit of a movie (Snow White!). As for today turned out to be a slow day but fine, even though we ended up eating Farmer Boy's chicken strips and watched The Bachelor for fifteen minutes ;)....lol! I don't even like that show, but it was just another day.

I'm so in love! Everyday!

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her."

~Hosea 2:14