Valentine ’ s Day
It seems that the story of Valentines Day , although not certain , began somewhere around 270 A . D . when a clergyman , by some accounts — a bishop in the Catholic church by others — secretly married young lovers . At the time , the emperor , Claudius , felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families , and thus , would not make good soldiers and officers . So marriage was prohibited . This was around when the heyday of the Roman empire was coming to an end and there was much civil strife . Claudius had Valentine arrested for being a “ friend to lovers ” and after a stay in prison , had him executed .
In 496 A . D ., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St . Valentine and he became the Patron Saint of an annual festival that involved young Romans offering women they admired and wished to court handwritten greetings of affection on February 14 . The greeting cards acquired St . Valentine ’ s name . Some reports say that Valentine himself wrote the first Valentine to the prison keeper ’ s blind daughter while he was in prison , signing it “ From Your Valentine .”
By another account , the earliest written greeting card was sent in 1415 by Charles , duke of Orleans , to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London . The card is now preserved in the British Museum . The first commercial cards were produced in the U . S . and created in the 1840s by Esther A . Howland . Howland is known as the Mother of the Valentine . She made her elaborate creations with real lace , ribbons and colorful pictures know as “ scrap .”
Although its history is a bit confusing , the spirit of love is the theme of the holiday . And according to Hallmark research , it is the second-most popular greeting card giving occasion . It is celebrated in the U . S ., Canada , Mexico , the United Kingdom , France and Australia . According to the Greeting Card Association , an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year , making Valentine ’ s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year . ( An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas .)
Time is too slow for those who wait , too swift for those who fear , too long for those who grieve , too short for those who rejoice , but for those who love , time is eternity . — Henry Van Dyke
Gilroy ’ s own Valentine couples
As Valentine ’ s Day approaches , our thoughts turn to that special someone who has captured our heart . For some , that may be a new romantic attachment ; for others , it ’ s the person they have shared most of their adult life with . For all , it ’ s someone who has aroused the intense feeling of deep affection that we call “ love .”
Roxie & Marv Thomas
Kristen & Eric Lopez
You might say Kristen and Eric were childhood sweethearts because they first met in eighth grade ( 1991 ). But , although they found themselves accompanying each other to many social functions over the next six years , they remained just friends . Friends say they were both really shy and quiet in high school — Eric was on the high school football team and Kristen was on the cheerleading squad . After high school and two years at Gavilan College , Kristin went off to Sonoma State College and Eric found his way to a coaching position in San Diego .
Their romance actually began when they both moved back to Gilroy in 2001 and ran into each other at Applebees . They were drawn together by a mutual appreciation for each others smile , Kristen ’ s hazel eyes and Eric ’ s sense of humor , that Kristen describes as a little silly at times . “ We ’ ve been together for four years now ,” states Eric , “ and just the person she is makes me a better person — she completes me .” Spoken like a true fan of Jerry McQuire .
When Eric decided before Christmas 2006 that he would propose , he wanted to do something big . On New Years Day he purchased a dozen red roses and placed rose pedals all over the big “ G ” on the football field at Gilroy High . “ I left one long stem rose in the middle of the ‘ G ’,” Eric recalls . Under the guise of going for a walk , Eric lured Kristen to the football field and the ‘ G ‘— he picked up the long-stem rose , got on one knee and asked Kristen if she would marry him .
Kristen and Eric were married on Thanksgiving Day last year . Kristen teaches first grade at Rucker Elementary School and Eric , who has a degree in Political Science is a Probation Counselor at the Boy ’ s Ranch in Morgan Hill . They decided to make Gilroy their home ,— “ This is where we were raised , I can ’ t imagine living anywhere else ,” says Kristen . They are looking forward to starting a family and buying their first home .
Kristen and Eric plan to buy each other a romance movie — he likes guy romance movies like Jerry McGuire . Her favorite is Under the Tuscan Sun . They ’ ll make dinner together — “ nothing fancy ,” adds Kristen , “ but it works .”
18
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008 GILROY TODAY