We think the story of St. Valentine deserves a whole month of love celebration! Valentine's Day has its origins in a very old story of faith, integrity, and the purity - though sometimes peril - of steadfast love. Valentine was a young priest near Rome around 270 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor had forbid marriage to soldiers because he felt they would be better warriors if they were not emotionally attached. In Valentine's compassion for young lovers, he would meet them in secret to perform the marriage rites. Ultimately Claudius discovered what Valentine was doing and had him arrested. While he was in jail, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter and through his faith miraculously healed her of blindness. Claudius tried to get Valentine to embrace the Roman Gods so that he could be pardoned. Valentine refused, and just before his execution on February 14, 270, he passed a note to his love and signed it "Your Valentine." Since February 14 also coincided with a pre-Christian holiday celebrating the pairing of lovers, the Christian church ultimately married the two stories and made St. Valentine the patron saint of love. One of the earliest known "Valentine" cards 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. And today -- whether our Valentine gifts and gestures are to lovers, family or friends, and be they serious or playful, the common thread is a tribute to true affection.