10+ People You Should Have On Your Valentine's List
There are many stories behind the day of Valentine's, but the most known story is that of Saint Valentine or Valentinus who stood against Emperor Claudius II.
The emperor outlawed marriage for young soldiers because he believed they made better fighters without wives.
Valuing Love above everything else as being the source of all goodness, the priest Valentinus defied the emperor's direct orders and performed marriages for young couples in secret.
When Claudius found out, he beheaded him on a February 14th for disobeying him.
View on Instagram
In the collective minds of humanity, Valentinus, who was later declared a Saint by the church, became a synonym of Love, and that's what Valentine's Day is really about. A celebration of human Love in all its beautiful and noble aspects.
For some reason, mostly commercial, the day became known in recent decades as a celebration of lovers or couples.
View on Instagram
Yet, the celebration isn't restricted to them by a long shot. It's actually unrestricted like Love is, and it covers all those we love and those deserving to be loved.
In fact, the Greeks distinguished four types of love: Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape:
Storge stands for the familial love, the love we carry to those from our blood.
Philia indicates friendship's love; the positive feeling we have for our good or best friends.
Eros stands for passion and desire.
Agape stands for the ultimate love; offering love and virtue without nothing in return. Agape refers also to "the love of God for humankind, and of humankind for God."
Hence, let Valentine's day this year, and onward, be our opportunity to express our love and appreciation to the people we love and those who have loved us by making a positive impact in our life.
Here are those we believe need to be included in our Happy Valentine's list for a loving gesture on February 14th:
#1 The people who raised us
View on Instagram
Our parents who have given us everything out of love, unconditionally, every day as we grew up under their protective wings and watchful caring eyes.
The sacrifices they've made, the hardships they've gone through, the unconditional love they've bestowed upon us, the tears they've dried from our faces, the pain they've taken away from us, and the list is infinite.
#2 Our siblings
View on Instagram
There is something deeply meaningful in the Lebanese language: Our cry of pain Akh , means literally brother and, somehow, it's a thing we first scream when in pain, intuitively calling on a sibling for help and comfort.
Whether we believe that or not, we know that our siblings are the first we go to for support and to confide in, and they are the first who run to us when they know we are in trouble.
So, to our brothers and sisters, with whom we fight and whom we love so dearly, Happy Valentine's!
#3 Our grandparents
View on Instagram
How can we ever forget that our teta and jeddo are the reason we exist; the breeders of our parents who bred us? They are these caring and affectionate folks who show only love to us without judgment and without intervening in our personal "business."
#4 Our good friends
View on Instagram