Valentine’s Day in Explorers I
by Jane Phillip, Explorers I Teacher
As each year has passed, Valentine’s Day has also come and gone with the overwhelming amount of hearts, every imaginable kind of chocolate, and roses in different sizes and lengths, all emphasizing the idea of “love.” Although Valentine’s Day does not solely originate from the legend of Saint Valentinus, this celebration of love looked quite different in the ancient city of Rome than it does today.
As a physician Saint Valentine was a “humble and gentle man. His clothes were not as fine as the noblemen’s, and his leather sandals were worn thin. He did not live in a grand house made of smooth marble, but in a small dwelling in a crowded part of the city” (Sabuda 1999). He was known for helping those who were ill and injured and only accepting the amount of money the person could afford. Saint Valentine would often say, “It was but a few herbs and prayer that have healed you, my friend,’ and send him on his way.”(1) To the end of his life, Saint Valentine continued to serve, love, and pray for those that came to him without expecting anything in return.
What might all this have meant to my class, filled with young but eager and loving hearts? What could we take away from the story of Saint Valentine? As a class, we pondered the living idea of serving, giving, and loving without expecting anything in return, because of the love of Christ. Some people might think that at age four and five, the attitude of selfless service might be a difficult idea to comprehend and practice; however, the students were joyfully enlightened at the opportunity to do just that – serve.
Explorers I shared and celebrated Valentine’s Week by making and wholeheartedly giving No Bake Cookies to their schoolmates, Explorers II. As they poured and mixed the ingredients together, the aroma of chocolate was hard to resist; however, the primary purpose of this project was to save all of the cookies for Explorers II. This meant that the students had to resist their self-seeking temptation to consume the cookies, the ones they had diligently made.
Although we did hear some oohs and aahs, I was delightfully surprised at the positive atmosphere the students were creating amongst themselves. Nobody moaned or groaned but instead inquired about when they would get to deliver these gifts. Alongside my students, it really made me take a step back to observe my own intentions and expectations for Valentine’s Day. I too had to remind myself that Saint Valentine did not treat and pray for the ill in order to receive roses and chocolates, but simply to take the opportunity to share the real heart of love, the love of Christ.
(1) Sabuda, Robert. Saint Valentine. New York, Aladdin Paperbacks: 1992.