Snow, snow go away, come again some other day. It wasn’t as bad as predicted, but it never is these days because of global warming. A recent finding reported that a crack in the fourth largest Antarctic Ice Shelf, known as Larson C, is breaking away at a rapid pace. The crack, which grew 17 miles in the past two months, is now more than 100 miles long, and two miles wide. According to a research team that has been monitoring the phenomenon since 2014, “It continues to grow by the length of roughly five football fields every day.” Oh my!
Hopefully what’s not breaking are hearts this Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is always a sentimental one, a tradition that has been honored and carried on through the ages. I overheard one person suggesting to another that the gentleman in question give his beloved a cat for Valentine’s Day as a gesture of his sentiment. How warm and cute and cuddly. How romantic. However, did you know that the original reason for setting aside Feb. 14 for the expression of love really isn’t romantic at all?
The year was 269 AD. Valentinus was either a Roman priest or a bishop in Terni. While marriage was held to be a sacred union and encouraged by the church, Emperor Claudius II prohibited the marriage of young people, believing that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to their wives or families if they died. Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ. Not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs. Hence, in the secrete confines of the church, Valentinus married young couples ready to commit their lives to the sacred union.
Eventually, Valentinus was caught, imprisoned and tortured because of his stand for Christian marriage and for performing marriage ceremonies against the command of the emperor. There are several legends surrounding Valentine’s imprisonment. For the purposes of this article I choose to recount the story of a jailer named Asterius, who noticed Valentinus was a man of learning, and he asked if whether Valentinus might teach his blind daughter, Julia. As the legend goes, Valentinus read many stories of Rome’s history to Julia and described the world of nature to her, along with teaching of arithmetic and about God. Together they prayed until with such an astonishing effect, Julia regained her sight.
Valentinus was sentenced to a three-part execution of a beating, stoning and finally decapitation. As the story goes, on the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote one last note to Julia. He signed it “from your Valentine.” His sentenced was carried out the next day, Feb. 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. The legend continues that Julia planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship.
St. Valentine’s martyrdom has not gone unnoticed by the general public. Signing the romantic letter has inspired today’s romantic expressions of love, affection and devotion around the world. The Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland, is one of three churches that claim to house the remains of St. Valentine. Today, many people make the pilgrimage to the church to honor the courage and memory of this Christian saint.
According to Father Frank O’Gara of Whitefriars Street Church, “Valentine has come to be known as the patron saint of lovers. If Valentine were here today, he would say to married couples that there comes a time where you’re going to have to suffer. It’s not going to be easy to maintain your commitment and your vows in marriage. Don’t be surprised if the ‘gushing’ love that you have for someone changes to something less ‘gushing’ but may be much more mature.”
The Horticultural Society of New York hosted its fifth annual Green Bean Bash to benefit the society’s new education center and greenhouse. The event connected families and young guests to plant-based activities, including composting, pickling, bean sprouts, insects and healthy goodies. Seen munching on veggies were Sharese Bullock-Bailey and Daya Bullock-Bailey.
The inaugural Blue Jacket Fashion Show and Dinner was held at Pier 59 Studios during New York Men’s Fashion Week. In partnership with Johnson & Johnson, the Blue Jacket Fashion Show benefited the Prostate Cancer Foundation, founded by financier and philanthropist Michael Milken. Money raised will go toward funding cutting-edge research that will save, extend and improve the lives of not only prostate cancer patients but also other cancer patients. Among those walking the runway wearing one-of-a-kind blue jackets were New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and CNN anchor Don Lemon. In the audience were Melba Moore and Ty Hunter.
While we are in the midst of February, we are also deeply entrenched in Black History Month. I for one am disappointed that the accomplishments of historical figures aren’t publically highlighted, noted and celebrated each day throughout the month. There was a time when we could look forward to watching all of the classic Black films on television. Those that were seldom shown, such as “Porgy and Bess,” “Cabin in the Sky” and “Carmen Jones,” are never shown anymore. I can recall seeing the first movie starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte that was made. The dynamic was quite different from the roles they played in “Carmen.” It was truly a work of artistry. I even miss the blaxploitation films, all of them.
Black history, however, is much more than movies. Carter G. Woodson, who founded The Journal of Negro History in 1916, brought about awareness of the culture. In 1926 it was Woodson’s efforts that established Negro History Week. Woodson’s story is one of intense inspiration. The son of slaves, he completed his undergraduate degrees, studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and received his doctorate in history from Harvard University in 1912. He was the second African-American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard. The first was W.E.B. Du Bois. More about Woodson next week. Stay tuned.
Until next week … kisses.