Why Don't You Celebrate Valentine's Day ?

Some people do not celebrate holidays for religious reasons.  Others do not like the commercialization of certain holidays.  Some believe they have no reason to celebrate that particular day.  Others avoid holidays because of painful memories they bring back.  Some consider every day to be special and therefore see no reason to do anything different on a holiday.

None of those are even a small part of the reason that my wife and I do not celebrate Valentine's Day.

The year was 1998 and the millenium was fast approaching.  Was the end of the world near at hand?  Would Y2K destroy everything?  These were the concerns of the day that seemed so important at the time and are now a distant memory or worn-out punch line.

A certain young man had met a certain young woman at a church dance.  They had instantly sparked and were in the early stages of a romantic relationship.  Talk of the future for them centered around potential plans for life and eternity together.  Where would we live?  How many kids would we have? (Although what was decided on that front would forever be disputed.)
The words "I Love You" had been expressed between both parties, while friends and family noticed this thing was getting "serious."

Then the woman left.  She went to Europe.

Gone forever?  Fortunately for this man, it was temporary.  She was simply "hired" to be a nanny for her niece, while her brother and sister-in-law did some work and travelled across Europe.  She was gone for almost 3 weeks, which was just the right amount of time for this young man to make all the preparations to ask this woman to be his eternal bride.  Permission was given by the father of the bride, with a somewhat reluctant "ok" from the mom.  A ring was selected and purchased.  The woman's room was decorated with flowers and a message spelled out in Hershey's kisses on the floor.  The proposal itself was planned and re-planned.  The only snag?  The woman would return to the United States the day after Valentine's Day.

No matter.  The proposal happened.  She accepted.  And the rest, as they say, is history (some still in the making).

Out of that experience came the birth of a new holiday, simply called

"Engagement Day"

 

If you cannot figure out why we call it that, I'm not sure you read the whole story above.

 

This year, 2013, marks the 15th anniversary celebration of that glorious holiday ... and I am very happy that that young woman not only agreed to an eternity of putting up with this (not so much anymore) young man, but that she prefers to celebrate Engagement Day instead of Valentine's Day!

Song Of The Day:
If you only listen to the Top 40 or songs from the last few decades, then you are missing out on some fantastic music!  There are, of course, thousands of songs about love (I am sure it is the most common subject matter for music), but there is only one song performed by the late Nat King Cole (his voice is just amazing!) with the title "L-O-V-E" and it is as close to a perfect song as any I've heard.  So on this day of love, enjoy this classic love song.

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