Posted on 02/11/2003 8:10:54 AM PST by mikeb704
In thinking what to write about this week, I started with France, which is really ticking me off these days. Working with axis of weasels partners Germany and Belgium, France is going out of its way to prove that when the going gets tough, they get going.
Belgium isn’t nearly as irritating as France. It’s a nothing country with a population less than that of Illinois and is known primarily for chocolates and the fictional detective Hercule Poirot. Its main purpose for existence is to fill the dead space between France and the Netherlands.
Nothing should surprise us about Germany, a country that put Hitler and his murderous Nazis in power.
But France is a different story. Aside from the massive doses of foreign aid bestowed on that nation, the United States gave to it its most precious resource, our young men. Over 30,000 American soldiers are buried there.
In 1966, French president Charles de Gaulle withdrew his troops from NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization). He also ordered all American GIs from France. Our secretary of state, Dean Rusk, asked de Gaulle if that included the thousands of Americans lying dead in the cemeteries there.
Mark Twain probably had it right: "France has neither winter nor summer nor morals - apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country."
Rather than devoting the rest of this space to a maniacally jealous has-been power, I’ll write about something significant: St. Valentine’s Day.
For years I worked with an older black lady who was an unapologetic Christian. Each St. Valentine’s Day, Mildred would walk around the office with a bag of goodies, those hard candy hearts with messages like "Be Mine" and "Hey There" printed on them.
She’d hand a small package out to all of her co-workers, but with a twist. Each on them had a religious tract about St. Valentine on them.
She never demanded you read it, or tried to proselytize. She’d gently wish you a good day and move on to the next employee.
The tract told of how Valentine (one of them, anyway, since there are believed to have been as many as three) was a third-century Christian in an era and a place, Rome, that didn’t take kindly to Christians. One of the emperor’s jailers had a blind daughter. He took her to Valentine, an educated man who practiced some medicine, in hopes that he could cure her. He couldn’t. Even so, the man asked Valentine to tutor his little girl.
Valentine shared his knowledge of history and arithmetic and science with her. Most importantly he told her of God and the power of prayer. The girl joined him in prayer, asking that she be able to see. That didn’t happen, but they continued praying.
One day, Roman soldiers came to take Valentine to prison. He was sentenced to death for his religious beliefs and the punishment was scheduled for February 14th.
The night before his execution Valentine wrote the little girl a farewell message. He told her to keep her faith, that God loved her and would never abandon her. He signed the letter, "from your Valentine."
The girl opened the note and found a yellow crocus inside. Amazingly, for the first time in her life she was able to see.
Of course, it’s unknown if that miracle really took place. But I find it interesting and memorable because it underscores that romantic love isn’t the only kind we humans can enjoy. There is love for our family and for our friends and for our Creator. St. Valentine is the patron saint for all of those kinds of love.
I don’t know if Mildred’s ritual every St. Valentine’s Day was because of her love for God, or her love for her co-workers, or some combination. She passed on a few years ago. I sure hope she’s spending tomorrow with St. Valentine. She deserves to.
This may get you interest.
Thank you friend. Have a good one snuggled close to you valentine of choice...
Great article, and great story. Thanks for sharing it here.
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