Friday Freestyle - 006
Weddings on the DL, being un-busy on purpose, and bees!
Happy feast of Saint Valentine, friends! And happy 23rd anniversary of the night I proposed to my wife! She’s the most wonderful person I know, and there’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with than her. (Spoiler, she said, “yes.”)
Saint Valentine was a priest in Rome during the 3rd century, a time when Christianity was under severe persecution by Emperor Claudius II. Despite the emperor's edicts, Valentine courageously continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. It's said that Claudius had banned marriages because he believed that single men made better soldiers. Valentine, seeing the injustice in denying the union of love, risked his life to clandestinely wed couples in the shadows of Rome’s oppressive regime.
Valentine's acts of kindness extended beyond just young lovers. According to one story, while in prison awaiting his execution, he healed the blind daughter of his jailer, Asterius. The night before he was to be executed, he penned a farewell note to the girl, signing it, “From your Valentine”—a phrase that has lived on in the hearts of lovers to this day.
On February 14, around the year 270 AD, Valentine was executed for his Christian beliefs and his defiance of the emperor. Over time, he became venerated as a saint, and his feast day became synonymous with courtly love and then romantic celebration. Today, Saint Valentine is not just a patron saint of lovers, but also of engaged couples and happy marriages, continuing to inspire the celebration of love in various cultures around the world–and he is also the patron saint of beekeepers!
Recommended reading…
This reflection on family, time, and love is one of the most beautifully written pieces I’ve read in a while. It captures the quiet, enduring presence of generational bonds and the unpredictable ways life shifts around us—who we meet, who shapes us, and who we’ve yet to love. If you’ve ever felt the weight of time moving both too fast and too slow, or if you’ve wondered about the unseen connections still waiting in your future, this is well worth your time.
This lovely piece is a quiet invitation to slow down, to let winter be winter, and to recognize that not all accomplishments are measured in checked-off to-do lists. It’s a reflection on the beauty of rest, the wisdom of seasons, and the simple joy of watching birds at the feeder–a favorite pastime of mine. If you’ve been feeling like you should be doing more, this might be the nudge you need to step back and just be for a while. Take a deep breath, stare out the window, and maybe spot a nuthatch or two.
You may have missed…
My family and I are still in the middle of renovations for the house we recently purchased, which we plan to move into a little over a week from now. That being said, time for writing is quite limited, so I have given free premium access to all of my readers for a few more weeks in the meantime. Take a peek at the archives and look for posts with the Padlock icon to read posts for paid subscribers only.
I’m reading, watching, listening to…
More of The West Wing, nearing the end of season 3.
I’m listening to Malcolm Guite read The Wind In the Willows, and it is delightful!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. The Lord be with you!
Thank you for sharing these words and this image of St. Valentine, for introducing me to another beautiful writer in Katie, and for sharing my own words. And I hope the renos go smoothly!
Jason what a nice round up--I enjoyed Lindsey's and Katie's reflections. Of course, listening to Malcolm read the telephone book would be a delight, right? Also, did you paint that remarkable image?! What lovely artistic offerings in your shop-wow.
((re: Weddings on the DL. DL is....'down low'? Forgive my un-with it brain. Just had to ask :-))