Are you up for the Valentine's Day challenge? It's not as hard as you think and once you get started I am certain the experience will be so rewarding that you will want to continue with it even after the day is through.
One of the inspirational books I look forward to reading during my morning routine is Alan Cohen's "A Deep Breath of Life." In today's reading he shares the story of St. Valentine and I felt compelled to share it too.
The legend of St. Valentine goes back to the early days of Christianity when Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. One Christian, Valentinus, was tried as a heretic and sentenced to death. In prison, Valentinus befriended a guard who respected his wisdom, and soon the guard brought his seven-year-old blind daughter, Julia, to Valentinus for lessons. Daily, the two talked of important things, and Julia developed a deep love and respect for her mentor. One day Julia asked him, "Valentinus, do you think I will ever be able to see?"
Valentinus thought for a moment and answered, "With love in your heart and a belief in God, anything is possible, Julia."
At that moment, Julia was overtaken with a flash of light, and suddenly her eyesight was restored. "Valentinus, I can see!" the child shouted.
"Praise be to God," he humbly answered.
The next day when Julia came to visit Valentinus, he was gone. He had been taken to his execution. Julia found this note:
The legend of St. Valentine goes back to the early days of Christianity when Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. One Christian, Valentinus, was tried as a heretic and sentenced to death. In prison, Valentinus befriended a guard who respected his wisdom, and soon the guard brought his seven-year-old blind daughter, Julia, to Valentinus for lessons. Daily, the two talked of important things, and Julia developed a deep love and respect for her mentor. One day Julia asked him, "Valentinus, do you think I will ever be able to see?"
Valentinus thought for a moment and answered, "With love in your heart and a belief in God, anything is possible, Julia."
At that moment, Julia was overtaken with a flash of light, and suddenly her eyesight was restored. "Valentinus, I can see!" the child shouted.
"Praise be to God," he humbly answered.
The next day when Julia came to visit Valentinus, he was gone. He had been taken to his execution. Julia found this note:
My Dear Julia,
Although we shall never see each other again, know that I will always love you. You are very dear to me. I will stay unseen by your side, and I will live in your heart. I believe in you.
Your Valentine
Accept the challenge to be a true valentine by encouraging those on your path today. Today I will be taking up the valentine's challenge myself by striving to be loving to who ever is in front of me at the time. Whether it's the Starbucks cashier, my wife, Lori, a neighbor who crosses my path, and even my in-laws. My plan is simple. Regardless of who it is I will make them feel important. This is not as hard as you may think. You can do it with a smile, holding open a door and allowing that person to go ahead of you on line, if you noticed someone doing a good job compliment them, it's that simple. Once you get started I am certain you'll find each experience so rewarding that as the day goes on you will be going out of your way seeking opportunities to share the love. So give all you got, you deserve it!
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