Valentines day...

Some of my fire fighters were asking me about the origin of Valentines Day. In a devotional booklet I have this paragraph...
"The tradition of Valentine's Day began several centuries ago when Valentine was imprisoned and facing execution. During his stay in prison he was befriended by the king's niece. On the eve of his execution he sent a note to her, thanking her for her friendship. Since then the tradition of sending Valentines has become a part of our romantic tradition."

Now you know... whether its right or not I cannot verify. About friendship Harold Kushner writes, "We find ourselves drawn to people for reasons we can't explain. But we need friendship and affection as much as we need food and air, and we identify certain people as able to meet that need." He goes on, "One of the saddest commentaries on American life is that we have made it so hard for men to have male friends. We have done such a great job of teaching men that all other men are potential rivals or customers, and that they should never expose their vulnerability to another man." He suggests that men have "buddies" but not intimate friendships. I suspect this is true of NZ males. Have a great valentines day!