The "Age Old Tradition Of Love": Story

It was an ordinary day. Except for the fact that it's Valentine's Day, at least on Harrington Drive where I live with my beautiful wife, Carol.  We have been celebrating Valentine's day as a married couple for 50 years now having celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2017.  It was June 17, 1967 that we said, "I Do!" in front of a packed crowd at St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

50 years ago.

Celebrated our first married Valentine's Day the following February 14th.  I did remember to buy my lovely wife a card this year, but as for a Valentine's Day gift, she suggested we stop a few days ago and buy a box of our favorite Meise's sea salt chocolate caramels for each other instead of something we will more than likely never use.  So tonight after supper we will celebrate with a sea salt chocolate caramel and a glass of Nissley's Grapeful Red wine.  And, then we might have...another piece of candy.  My parents stopped buying cards for each other when they reached their 50th anniversary.  

John and Ann Betar 83 years ago.

Instead, they had a box of cards they had collected over their wedded lifetime and each year after 50 they would go to the box and find one that they would re-give for Valentine's Day.  Now, that may sound cheap, but it really was very romantic seeing how much they were in love with each other over their first 50 years; plus it was frugal, not cheap!  But, 50 years really isn't that big a deal for quite a few married couples.  I read about John and Ann Betar who have been celebrating Valentine's Day, as well as marriage, for 83 years now.  John was 21 and Ann was 17 when they eloped in 1932.  Seems Ann's father wanted her to marry a much older man and she decided to marry the man whom she loved before her father could arrange something different.  

The Betar's celebrating Valentine's Day.

Today they celebrate their 83rd Valentine's Day together.  John is now 106 and Ann is 102.  They have the distinction of being America's longest-married couple.  They had five children, 15 grandkids and just about as many great-grandkids.  For Valentine's Day they will take a ride in the same model Ford Roadster that they did on their first date.  Ann's advice for married couples is to listen to one another no matter what the situation may be.  Seems to have worked for them.  Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day to all sweethearts today.  Just don't stop by for any chocolate caramels since I'm going to hide them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Sweets For My Sweetheart!" Story

Sweets for my Sweetheart!  Yeah, I know
it's not roses, but roses make her sneeze!!

It was an ordinary day.  That was until my wife walked down the stairs and I had the chance to present her with her Valentine's Day card and treat.  Each year on this day, February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts and flowers with their special "Valentine".  The day of romance we call Valentine's Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia.  Last year on this date I wrote in depth about the day and it's traditions all over the world.  Today I will share with you a few facts that I have found as well as a quote from an famous author and poet.  

1. In medieval times girls ate bizarre foods on this day believing that this would enable them to meet their future spouse in their dreams on this day.  These same girls would also draw names of men from a bowl and pin them to their sleeves for everyone to witness for one week.  That's where the saying "to wear your heart on your sleeve" originated.
2. Valentine's Day is the #1 holiday for florists with close to $15 billion worth of business on this day.  
3. Each year about 190 million flowers are sold in the U.S. on Valentine's Day.  So many flowers that some have to be imported from South America.
4. 73% of the flowers purchased are by men.  The other 27% are purchased by women naturally, but of that 27%, 15% are purchased by woman for themselves.  Interesting!
5. Richard Cadbury was a genius when he made his first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day.  Every year more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold for this day. 
6. Today is a good day to propose marriage.  Seems that 220,000 men, and perhaps some women, propose on this day of love.  Wonder how many of those men and women later wished they had just stuck with the box of chocolates or the bouquet of flowers.
7. And, can you believe it that 9 million people who own pets get them Valentine's Day gifts.  I read that those people consider their pet to be more grateful and loyal than a real person.  I guess an extra can of food for Creamsicle today would be OK.
8. Roses cost varying prices throughout the world.  In Bangkok they run about $500 for a dozen while in the U.S. they can run as high as $75.  At Costco you can get them for about 20 bucks.  
9. The color of the roses tell the receiver just how much you are in love with them.  The pink rose says "I am having sweet thoughts about you" while the white rose stands for purity so forget the love part of it today.  Those getting the red roses are at the top of the love list.  And, the number of roses purchased also tells how much you love someone.  1 stands for love at first sight, 12 is to say "I love you", 108 is when you are prepared to propose and 999 roses means we will pay them off on the credit card.  Nah, it means "we'll always be together.  Now, my guess is that a florist made up this list in hopes of selling more.
10. Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards.  Can't be high school teachers, since I never, ever received a card from one of my students.
11. The first Valentine's Day message or quote that was ever written was to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia and was by Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote in Parlement of Foules, dated 1382: For this was on sent Volantynys day, Whan every bred comyth there to chese his mate. (For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate).
12. And the final fact … 8,000,000,000 candy hearts are manufactured each year just for this day.  That is enough to stretch from Italy to Arizona 20 times.  And I wonder who took the time to actually measure that?  Someone who had nothing better to do on Valentine's Day I assume.

Well, I hope you purchased some candy, flowers or at least a card to give to your sweetheart on this day of lovers.  Or, maybe for yourself!  If not … you may be in trouble!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A True Love Story: Part I" Story

Web photo of Steph Knudson talking with reporter Katelyn Smith.

It was an ordinary day.  Watching the local news on NBC Channel 8 out of Lancaster, PA.  After the local news, weather and sports, a personal story reported by Katelyn Smith titled Woman traces 100-year-old love story back to Susquehanna Valley began.  Story began with the FaceTime report between Katelyn and Steph Knudson of Chicago, Illinois.  

The 435 W. Orange St. address can be seen above the door.

Seems that Steph was visiting a popular vintage market in Chicago when she discovered a stack of old letters, about 3-4 in a group, tied with decorative rope.  At the time she had been looking for something to read on a planned train trip and after her discovery realized she had found her reading material.  Her friend, who was with her at the time and was going to accompany her on the train, also purchased a set to read.  

Miss Daisy's row home at 435 W. Orange
where I assume she lived with her family
while teaching primary school.

While on the train they quietly read the letters to each other and found that the letters were written by the same writer, a Miss Daisy, who was writing to friend John.  The date on the letters was the early 1900's.  The two friends marveled at the love and affection offered in the letters they read.  What they didn't realize was that they were reading louder than they had thought, for when they looked across the aisle in the train, the woman sitting in the seat opposite them looked at them and asked if that was all the letters they had?  Upon Steph's return to Chicago she returned to the same vendor to see if there were more letters available.  She ended up spending $75 for the remaining letters .... a total of 109 in all.  Each letter was still in it's original envelope with one cent postage with a return address and postmark date so she could put all letters in chronological order.  The 109 letters dated from 1905 to 1910.  

This is the house on Lincoln Highway East where
Daisy and John lived in at the time
that Miss Daisy died according to the Lancaster newspaper.

Steph inquired as to what the letters were originally in and the seller at the vintage market stand told her that another buyer had purchased the trunk they were in, but didn't want the letters so returned them to her.  The only disappointment came when Steph realized that she only had the letters written by Daisy to John, but knew he must have treasured them so much to have saved them.  

A photo of John and Miss Daisy.

She is also not sure if another buyer may have purchased some of the letters before she was able to obtain the rest of them.  Well, the letters that I have read so far on Steph's blog that Daisy has written were in the cursive writing that was taught in school at the time.  Beautiful handwriting that I wish I could duplicate.  Was amazed that the return address on most of Miss Daisy's letters was an address about a mile from my house in Lancaster, PA.  Thus, the reason why a TV reporter from Channel 8, who had found Steph's blog, decided to do some research and produced the story that I was watching at the moment on TV.  Through Katelyn's research she was able to find the childhood home of Miss Daisy and the newspaper articles of her marriage to friend John in 1910 as well as where they were living when Miss Daisy died in 1956.  

A photograph of Miss Daisy's graduating class from Millersville
Normal School.  This is a photo from the Channel 8
broadcast.  Miss Daisy could not be identified.

Miss Daisy graduated from Millersville Normal School, the same school where I went to college.  The letters are amazing that Steph has posted in her blog which you can find at https://109loveletters.wordpress.com.  If you care to watch the report on TV from Katelyn you can find that at http://www.wgal.com/news/woman-traces-100yearold-love-story-back-to-susquehanna-valley/34428122.  I will post another story in the near future after reading more of the 109 love letters and doing some research in Lancaster, PA.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The banner on the blog of Steph Knudson.

The "A Gift Of Love" Story

A lace Valentine Card from the 1890s.

It was an ordinary day.  And, after yesterday, Friday the 13th, are you ready for some loving?  Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine is celebrated in many countries of the world, although it isn't a holiday in most of them.  Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration to remember Saint Valentine of Rome who was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.  

A postcard Valentine circa 1910.

Alledgely, during his time in prison he healed the blind daughter of his jailer and later wrote her a letter signing it "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution.  The expression "From Your Valentine" has been adopted by modern Valentine letter writers and this legend has been published by American Greetings.  In 18th Century England, Valentine's Day became a time for lovers to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, sweets or cards to one another.  Valentine symbols that are customary today are heart-shaped items, doves or the winged figure of Cupid.  In the 19th century the hand-written letters and cards of yesteryears gave way to mass-produced greeting cards.  Now it is becoming more and more accepted to send an online-Valentine card to your sweetheart.  There have been other St. Valentine's in history with one Catholic saint mentioned in early martyrologies under the date of February 14 which is perhaps why we celebrate our Valentine's Day on that particular date.  Valentine's Day is mentioned by Ophelia in Shakespeare "Hamlet" (1600-1601) with the following verse: 

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's Day,

All in the morning be tie,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your Valentine.

Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,

And dupp'd the chamber-door;

Let in the maid, that out a maid

Never departed more.

Ah, what a lover that Hamlet must have been. In more recent history (1784) Gammer Gurton's Garland, an English writer of nursery rhymes, wrote:

The rose is red, the violet's blue,

The honey's sweet, and so are you.

Thou art my love and I am thine;

I drew thee to be my Valentine:

The lot was cast and then I drew,

And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

Ah, love is pure joy.  In the United States the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced in the mid-1840s.  

Traditional Valentine's Day gifts for your sweetheart.

By the mid-1900s the practice of exchanging cards was extended to roses, chocolates and jewelry.  Today approxi- mately 190 million valentines are sent or exchanged each year with about half of those given to family members.  Most Valentine buyers spend close to $150 each year to try and impress their loved ones.  As for Carol and I, we mailed Valentine cards to our grandchildren as well as exchanging cards and chocolates and enjoying a Valentine's Day lunch. Always nice to take a break from the everyday life to express the love you share with friends and family.  Happy Valentine's Day to all!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.