Happy Valentine’s Day

When you think of Valentine’s Day, what comes to mind - hearts, chocolates, roses, love? Here are some interesting facts about our symbols of Valentine’s Day:

• Boston-based pharmacist Oliver Chase invented the machine that produced small medical lozenges. When he saw the popularity of these small pop-in medicines, he turned them into candy with cute messages on them.

• Venus, the Roman goddess of love, used to adore red roses. This caused people to start spreading love by giving roses to the object of their affection.  Today 250 million roses are grown each year in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. Countries like Kenya, Colombia, and Ecuador cultivate these flowers and ship them to regions with cooler February climates, as roses thrive in warmer temperatures.

• Valentine’s Day is a popular day for proposals and breakups. What better way to commemorate your love than on the most romantic holiday of the year? According to The Knot, 15% of all proposals happen on Valentine’s Day. Ironically, this day is also a common time for couples to call it quits. Recent polls indicate that approximately 15-25% of couples break up on Valentine’s Day or in the days leading up to it.

• Physicians in the old days would recommend chocolate to people who were suffering from a broken heart or pining after a lost love. Ouch! Today, about 58 million pounds of chocolate are sold in the U.S. during Valentine’s week. Heart-shaped boxes, truffles, and conversation hearts dominate sales.

No matter how you plan to celebrate this “love” holiday – remember that God’s steadfast love is with us every day, helping us to be resilient in our relationships and helping us to reaffirm human connections in so many forms.

Pastor Heather Cameron

Parish Associate