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Saint Valentine's Day

A history in rhyme

from a collection of poems by Bill Jongbloed (to be published shortly) called Faces Of Love

Do you send Valentine Cards
Do you send them each year
Do you know how it started
              Read on and you'll hear
For in the fourth century AD
              Emperor Claudius decreed
Roman's worship twelve god's
               It was evil indeed
But Valentinus refused
               As Christ only he served
And he was jailed for this crime
              Awaiting a fate undeserved
But his jailer could see
            This man was learned and wise
And his daughter was born blind
            Could Valentinus be her eyes
So young Julia was brought
             To this great man in his cell
Who taught of history and math
             And of God did he tell
Soon she trusted his teachings
            Saw the world through his eyes
As he proved wise and strong
            And he never told lies
Then one day Julia asked
            Does God hear what I pray
Valentinus replied
             God hears all that you say
Now young Julia was praying
             Hard each morning and night
She prayed hard to see
             She prayed for her eyesight
Valentinus then told her
             God does what is best
But to receive of God's gifts
              You must first pass his test
Do you believe in Lord Jesus
              She said yes yes I do
Then they knelt and held hands
              And her faith was proved true

For as they prayed in the dungeon
             There came a brilliant flash of light
Julia cried Valentinus
             God has given me sight
Praise be to God
Valentinus proclaimed
Julia wept in his arms
          Praise be to God she exclaimed
Now on the eve of his execution
         To his friend Julia he wrote
Please stay close to God
             Is what he wrote in that note
And he signed this last letter
             From your Valentine
So it's in this man's honor
             That we give Valentine's
So on the 14th of February
            His life came to end
And Julia grieved fiercely
            As he was truly her friend
So an almond tree she planted
            With blossoms pink near his grave
As both a sign of her friendship
             And of the friendship he gave
So that now to this day
Almond trees stand a sign
Of love and of friendship
          As they have from that time
So on the 14th of February
          Please celebrate Valentine's Day
With both the things that you do
           And the words that you say
But take not this day lightly
           As you give of your love
As your thoughts and your prayers
          Are heard by God up above
So this was the lesson
         Valentinus lived to teach
May it endure through all ages
        And may all people it reach

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