Prof. Boerner's Explorations

Forwarded by Gerald Boerner from a Friend…

For all my readers out there, I thought that I would pass along this little poem. It could be sent to your loved ones as a little “pick me up” thought when they return home after a hard day at the office, school or golf course.

I don’t know who wrote it, so use it as you wish. I hope that it leads to many happy times for you and your loved ones…

Catch A Rainbow

If I could catch a rainbow
I would do it just for you
And share with you its beauty
On the days you’re feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain
You could call your very own;
A place to find serenity,
A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles
I would toss them in the sea,
But all these things I’m finding
Are impossible for me.

I cannot build a mountain
Or catch a rainbow fair,
But let me be what I know best,
A friend who’s always there.

Author Unknown

by Gerald Boerner

Ten years ago, our already small family was reduced by one — my youngest brother, Charles (Chuck). If he were alive today (June 5th), he would be turning 60, but, alas, we lost him suddenly during the summer of 2000. I have tried to put down some of my remembrances of him in this memorium so that family members can be reminded of, or learn of, his life and circumstances. Please interpret this posting in that context.  GLB

“Affliction’s sons are brothers in distress; A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bliss!”
— Robert Burns

“All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.”
— Chief Joseph

continue reading…

by Gerald Boerner

On this day we celebrate the many men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. This memorial Day is set aside to honor them. We should never forget the price they paid to keep our country free, to give us liberty and freedom, and to provide the “living space” in which we live and thrive.

But I would like to also think about those brave men and women who are currently “on station” in those areas of the world where terrorists are still threatening our country. We cannot put the image of that day in September in 2001 when we suffered an unprovoked attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. We suffered that day, but those in Iraq and Afghanistan are under daily threat to their lives.

We need to keep the sacrifices of those innocent civilians who died that day be remembered on this Memorial Day. May the freedom and liberty that we enjoy continue to see our flag wave over this great land.   GLB

“And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.”
— Lee Greenwood

continue reading…

Gerald Boerner

This is a short note to let you know that I will be resuming a full schedule of posting again next week. I have been finishing up my photography classes for this semester. My projects have been demanding extra effort to complete my projects.

I appreciate your patience during these last two weeks of limited postings.

We will be looking at Memorial Day issues over the next three days, so be sure to join us for that exploration.  GLB

by Gerald Boerner

We raise a joyful voice to you, our mothers, on this special day… Without you, our days would not be. Bathed in the light of your eyes and the cheerfulness of your voice, we walk the path through life with your guidance. An now you have gone ahead to prepare the way for us into eternity!

Think about you mother on this day and whenever you might be down. Post this poem by the computer, by the phone, or anywhere else you may receive news, good or bad. Let it be the elixir of life that keeps us going.  GLB

Ode to Mom
Poet Wayne F. Winters

My mom was always there for us through good times or bad.
Anything we needed she made sure that we had.
For Halloween she’d dress us up like a pirate or a ghoul
For Easter she would hide those eggs and chocolate bunnies too.

Our birthday cake always home baked and decorated too
The frosting spread with loving strokes as only she could do.
Each flower and each letter had to be put on just so
A masterpiece with candles lit, "Make a wish and blow."

Doctor Mom was ready for each cut and every sprain.
And somehow just a kiss from mom would get rid of the pain.
She didn’t need a white lab coat her housedress did just fine
And when you left her "office" you felt better every time.

For Christmas and Thanksgiving you could count on quite a treat.
Roast turkey or a baked ham and of course some homemade sweets.
She’d be in the kitchen for hours on those days
To show how much she loved us in every single way.

So here’s to mom on mother’s day,
I wrote this so you’d know
How much I love you every day, even if it doesn’t show.
I look back on my childhood and thank the stars above.
For everything you gave me, but mostly for your love.

References

Inspirational Words of Wisdom: “Ode to Mom”…
http://www.wow4u.com/ode-to-mom/index.html

by Gerald Boerner

I captured this image at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA, on a cloudy, rainy day in the spring. We need to keep our eyes on the empty cross — Christ is not still on it, but he is risen. Let us keep our eyes on our living, loving Savior. He walks with us daily and speaks to us through the Bible and his creation, Nature. Let us open our mind’s eyes to see the wonderful world that have been given; let us open our awareness to the guidance of Christ in our daily lives.  GLB

Photo by Gerald L. Boerner

“He is Risen!”

On this special day, we might keep in mind the following scriptures…

Guards are Posted at the Tomb FROM MATTHEW 27:62-66 (NLT)

The next day-on the first day after the Passover ceremonies-the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will be raised from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing the body and then telling everyone that he came back to life! If that happens, we’ll be worse off then we were at first." Pilate replied, "Take guards and secure it the best you can." So they sealed the tomb and posted the guards to protect it.

Jesus Rises from the Dead FROM MATTHEW 28:1-7 (NLT)

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don’t be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you."

Jesus Appears to the Women FROM MATTHEW 28:8-10 (NLT)

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them. "Greetings!" he said. And they ran to him, held his feet, and worshiped him. The Jesus said to them, "Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there."

Background and biographical information:

Priesthill Zion Methodist Church: Easter Scripture… 
http://www.priesthill-zion-methodist.com/easter/scriptures.html

by Gerald Boerner

As a special posting, we want to recognize today’s special significance to Liturgical Churches. Today marks Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lent Season. This period of repentance, fasting, and supplication to God extends through forty-some days, ending on Easter Sunday. The celebration of Carnival, Karnival, or Marti Gras ends the day before with festivities and celebrations, sometimes to excess.

Even if we are not affiliated with a church, this is a good time of the year to think about our obligation to others. While this may not be associated with a faith-based opportunity, there are many occasions for volunteering and serving the needs of the less privileged. Contact service groups and other organizations in your community to find out what opportunities for service are available to you.  GLB

“I get a little behind during Lent, but it comes out even at Christmas.”
— Frank Butler

“At one time I smoked, but in 1959 I couldn’t think of anything else to give up for Lent so I stopped-and I haven’t had a cigarette since.”
— Ethel Merman

“Every possession and every happiness is but lent by chance for an uncertain time, and may therefore be demanded back the next hour.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer

“I have lost my seven best friends, which is to say God has had mercy on me seven times without realizing it. He lent a friendship, took it from me, sent me another.”
— Jean Cocteau

“The paradoxes of today are the prejudices of tomorrow, since the most benighted and the most deplorable prejudices have had their moment of novelty when fashion lent them its fragile grace.”
— Marcel Proust

“I am not a member of any organization listed by the Attorney General as subversive. In any instance where I lent my name in the past, it was certainly without knowledge that such an organization was subversive. I have always been essentially and foremost an American.”
— Judy Holliday

Religious Observance: Lent

Lent, in Western Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

This practice was virtually universal in Christendom until the Protestant Reformation. Some Protestant churches do not observe Lent, but many, such as Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans, do.

Lent was also traditionally the term used to describe the period leading up to Christmas before the term Advent was officially recognized.

Duration

In Western Catholicism (with the exception of the Archdiocese of Milan which follows the Ambrosian Rite and therefore Lent begins exactly 6 weeks before Easter), Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at the Ninth Hour of Holy Thursday (44 days in the Catholic Church) or on Holy Saturday (46 days). The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter," a celebration of Jesus’ victory over sin and death. When Lent is to continue until Holy Saturday, this leaves exactly forty days of fasting.

In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of Lent, see the article Great Lent. Amongst Oriental Orthodox Christians, there are various local traditions regarding Lent. The Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches observe a total of fifty-five days for Lent. Joyous Saturday and the week preceding it are counted separately from the forty day fast in accordance with the Apostolic Constitutions giving an extra eight days. The first seven days of the fast are considered by some to be an optional time of preparation. Others attribute these seven days to the fast of Holofernes who asked the Syrian Christians to fast for him after they requested his assistance to repel the invading pagan Persians.

Origin

The Lenten semi-fast may have originated for practical reasons: during the era of subsistence agriculture in the West as food stored away in the previous autumn was running out or had to be used before it went bad in store, and little or no new food-crop was expected soon (compare the period in Spring which British gardeners call the "hungry gap"). In its earliest Christian form Lent was an intense period of fasting and prayer for catechumens preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil.

Associated Customs

There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.

In many liturgical Christian denominations, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday form the Easter Triduum. Lent is a season of grief that necessarily ends with a great celebration of Easter. It is known in Eastern Orthodox circles as the season of "Bright Sadness." It is a season of sorrowful reflection which is punctuated by breaks in the fast on Sundays.

In the Roman Catholic Mass, Lutheran Divine Service, and Anglican Eucharist, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is not sung during the Lenten season, disappearing on Ash Wednesday and not returning until the moment of the Resurrection during the Easter Vigil. On major feast days, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is recited, but this in no way diminishes the penitential character of the season; it simply reflects the joyful character of the Mass of the day in question. It is also used in the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Likewise, the Alleluia is not sung during Lent; it is replaced before the Gospel reading by a seasonal acclamation. In the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite omission of the Alleluia begins with Septuagesima. During the lenten season, some Catholic Churches remove the holy water at the entrances of their churches. Instead of water, stones are place in. This practice (removing the holy water) has been forbidden by the Vatican though.

The last two weeks of Lent are known as Passiontide. It begins on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, which in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal is called the First Sunday in Passiontide and in earlier editions Passion Sunday. All statues (and in England paintings as well) in the church were traditionally veiled in violet, and according to the rubrics should continue to be so. This was seen to be in accordance with the Gospel of that Sunday (John 8:46-59), in which Jesus “hid himself” from the people. The veils were removed at the singing of the Gloria during the Easter Vigil. Following Vatican II, and in the Reformed Kalendar of 1970, the name Passiontide was formally dropped, although the last two weeks are markedly different from the rest of the season. The tradition of veiling images is left to the decision of a country’s conference of bishops.

In the Byzantine Rite, the Gloria (Great Doxology) continues to be used in its normal place in the Matins service, and the Alleluia appears all the more frequently, replacing "God is the Lord" at Matins.

Pre-Lenten Festivals

Lent personified at a Carnival celebration.
Detail of 1559 painting "The Battle between Carnival and Lent"
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Pile of straw with a fir tree and a "witch" doll attached to it,
for the traditional "Funken" bonfire on the First Sunday of
lent in Herdwangen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The "Funken" set ablaze.

Although originally of pagan contentthe traditional carnival celebrations which precede Lent in many cultures have become associated with the season of fasting if only because they are a last opportunity for excess before Lent begins. The most famous of pre-Lenten carnivals in the World are the ones celebrated in Rio de Janeiro and Cologne; other famous Carnivals are held in Venice and in New Orleans (where it is termed Mardi Gras and only celebrated on Shrove Tuesday).

Fasting and Abstinence

Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates Scholasticus reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, believers abstained from food for an entire day; others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o’clock. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without vegetables or alcohol was eaten followed by a big fry with no eggs. Even now, the Orthodox Churches continue the practice of avoiding all animal products including fish, eggs, fowl and milk sourced from animals (e.g. goats and cows as opposed to the milk of soy beans and coconuts) for the entire fifty-five days of their Lent.

In some years, there have been exceptions to abstinence on Fridays during the Lenten Season. If Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17) falls on a Friday during Lent, the local Bishop can dispense with the rules and Catholics can eat meat. This is especially true in the United States among areas with large Irish-American populations, who eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. Approximately one third of all Catholic dioceses in the United States grant such a dispensation.

Contemporary legislation is rooted in the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He also allowed that fasting and abstinence might be substituted with prayer and works of charity.

Pursuant to Canon 1253, days of fasting and abstinence are set by the national Episcopal conference. On days of fasting, one eats only one full meal, but may eat two smaller meals as necessary to keep up one’s strength. The two small meals together must sum to less than the one full meal. Parallel to the fasting laws are the laws of abstinence. These bind those over the age of fourteen. On days of abstinence, the person must not eat meat or poultry. According to canon law, all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday and several other days are days of abstinence, though in most countries, the strict requirements of abstinence have been limited by the bishops (in accordance with Canon 1253) to the Fridays of Lent and Ash Wednesday. On other abstinence days, the faithful are invited to perform some other act of penance. A custom that developed later was to also give up something a person “enjoyed” receiving or doing for the duration of Lent. Although it is not required or part of any rule, many Christians today will also choose to give up something during the Lenten period.

Many modern Protestants consider the observation of Lent to be a choice, rather than an obligation. They may decide to give up a favorite food or drink (e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g., going to the movies, playing video games, etc.) for Lent, or they may instead take on a Lenten discipline such as devotions, volunteering for charity work, and so on. Roman Catholics may also observe Lent in this way in addition to the dietary restrictions outlined above, though observation is no longer mandatory under the threat of mortal sin. Many Christians who choose not to follow the dietary restrictions cite 1 Timothy 4:1-5 which warns of doctrines that "forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."

When observing fasting or abstinence during Lent, regard must be paid to the fact that Sundays are Feast Days, so there is no fast or abstinence. The days from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday, excluding the Sundays, are forty, corresponding to the number of days Christ spent in the wilderness.

Key Days of Lent

• Ash Wednesday…
  Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity.

• Palm Sunday…
  The sixth Lenten Sunday, commonly called Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter.

• Spy Wednesday…
  Wednesday of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday to commemorate the days on which Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before betraying him.

• Maundy Thursday…
  Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the Last Supper shared by Christ with his disciples.

• Good Friday…
  Good Friday follows the next day, on which Christians remember His crucifixion and burial.

• Easter Sunday…
  According to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion..

References

Background information is from Wikipedia articles on:

Wikipedia: Lent… 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

Web Sites and Blogs:

Brainy Quote: Quotations about Lent…
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/lent.html

by Gerald Boerner

Today is a day of memoriam, of remembering the contributions of the many great presidents that have helped shape this country into the international power it is today. No president did more than George Washington, our first president. He set our ship of state, so to speak, on a straight track to the future. He declined to become King, he brought into the first administrations such powerful men as Alexander Hamilton to set up our financial house and Thomas Jefferson to set up our diplomatic house.

He provided the inspiration to another great president, Abraham Lincoln. He also foreshadowed other great presidents like Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. The present holiday was changed from one to celebrate Washington’s Birthday to one that celebrates the birthdays of multiple presidents.  GLB

Washington’s Farewell Address

Friends and Citizens:

The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the executive government of the United States being not far distant, and the time actually arrived when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person who is to be clothed with that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made.

I beg you, at the same time, to do me the justice to be assured that this resolution has not been taken without a strict regard to all the considerations appertaining to the relation which binds a dutiful citizen to his country; and that in withdrawing the tender of service, which silence in my situation might imply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future interest, no deficiency of grateful respect for your past kindness, but am supported by a full conviction that the step is compatible with both.

The acceptance of, and continuance hitherto in, the office to which your suffrages have twice called me have been a uniform sacrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty and to a deference for what appeared to be your desire. I constantly hoped that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement from which I had been reluctantly drawn. The strength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last election, had even led to the preparation of an address to declare it to you; but mature reflection on the then perplexed and critical posture of our affairs with foreign nations, and the unanimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence, impelled me to abandon the idea.

I rejoice that the state of your concerns, external as well as internal, no longer renders the pursuit of inclination incompatible with the sentiment of duty or propriety, and am persuaded, whatever partiality may be retained for my services, that, in the present circumstances of our country, you will not disapprove my determination to retire. …

Saluting A Great President: George Washington

Washington’s Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February. It is also commonly known as Presidents Day (sometimes spelled as Presidents’ Day or President’s Day). As Washington’s Birthday or Presidents Day, it is also the official name of a concurrent state holiday celebrated on the same day in a number of states.

History

Titled Washington’s Birthday, the federal holiday was originally implemented by the United States Congress in 1880 for government offices in the District of Columbia (20 Stat. 277) and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices (23 Stat. 516). As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, February 22. On 1 January 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name "Washington’s Birthday" a misnomer, since it never lands on Washington’s actual birthday, February 22. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 would have renamed the holiday to Presidents’ Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln, but this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on 28 June 1968, kept the name Washington’s Birthday.

The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951 when the "President’s Day National Committee" was formed by Harold Stonebridge Fischer of Compton, California, who became its National Executive Director for the next two decades. The purpose was not to honor any particular President, but to honor the office of the Presidency. It was first thought that March 4, the original inauguration day, should be deemed Presidents Day. However, the bill recognizing the March 4th date was stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee (which had authority over national holidays). That committee felt that, because of its proximity to Lincoln’s and Washington Birthdays, three holidays so close together would be unduly burdensome. During this time, however, the Governors of a majority of the individual states issued proclamations declaring March 4 to be Presidents Day in their respective jurisdictions. Later on, the Washington’s Birthday holiday would become known as Presidents Day.

By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents Day" began its public appearance. Although Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed their Washington’s Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations. However, "Presidents Day" is not always an all-inclusive term.

Observance and traditions

Flag and bunting mark Washington’s Birthday

Today, the February holiday has become well-known for being a day in which many stores, especially car dealers, hold sales. Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, similar to present corporate practices on Memorial Day or Christmas Day. With the late 1980s advertising push to rename the holiday, more and more businesses are staying open on the holiday each year, and, as on Veterans Day and Columbus Day, most delivery services outside of the U.S. Postal Service now offer regular service on the day as well. Some public transit systems have also gone to regular schedules on the day. Many colleges and universities hold regular classes and operations on Presidents Day. Various theories exist for this, one accepted reason being to make up for the growing trend of corporations to close in observance of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. However, when reviewing the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill debate of 1968 in the Congressional Record, one notes that supporters of the Bill were intent on moving federal holidays to Mondays to promote business. Over time, as with many federal holidays, few Americans actually celebrate Washington’s Birthday, and it is mainly known as a day off from work or school, although many non-governmental workers do not take the day off.

Consequently, some schools, which used to close for a single day for both Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthday, now often close for the entire week (beginning with the Monday holiday) as a "mid-winter recess". For example, the New York City school district began doing so in the 1990s.

The federal holiday Washington’s Birthday honors the accomplishments of the man who has been referred to, for over two centuries, as "The Father of his Country". Celebrated for his leadership in the founding of the nation, he was the Electoral College’s unanimous choice to become the first President; he was seen as a unifying force for the new republic and set an example for future holders of the office.

The holiday is also a tribute to the general who created the first military badge of merit for the common soldier. Revived on Washington’s 200th birthday in 1932, the Purple Heart medal is awarded to soldiers who are injured in battle. As with Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Washington’s Birthday offers another opportunity to honor the country’s veterans.

References:

Wikipedia: Washington’s Birthday…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Day

Avalon Project: Washington’s Farewell Address…
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp

by Gerald Boerner

Today is one of those special days of the year when we express our feelings to our loved ones in a way that we don’t during most of the year. Valentine’s Day, February 14th, is a time of love and sentimentality. Take some time to let those close to your: your spouse, your kids, your parents know how your feel about them. For the “he-men,” don’t be afraid to show some emotion. For the “sentimentalists,” express your feelings with honesty.

In all, HAVE A GREAT VALENTINE’S DAY.  GLB

Must, bid the Morn awake!

Sad Winter now declines,

Each bird doth choose a mate;

This day’s Saint Valentine’s.

For that good bishop’s sake

Get up and let us see

What beauty it shall be

That Fortune us assigns.

— Michael Drayton

A Tribute to Love: Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine’s Day (commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines“). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine’s Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

A bell is no bell ’til you ring it,

A song is no song ’til you sing it,

And love in your heart

Wasn’t put there to stay -

Love isn’t love

‘Til you give it away.

— Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music

Modern times

In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called “mechanical valentines,” and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.

Valentine’s Day postcard, circa 1910

Paper Valentines being so popular in England in the early 1800s, Valentines began to be assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid 1800′s. In the UK, just under half the population spend money on their Valentines and around 1.3 billion pounds is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. The reinvention of Saint Valentine’s Day in the 1840s has been traced by Leigh Eric Schmidt. As a writer in Graham’s American Monthly observed in 1849, “Saint Valentine’s Day… is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday.” In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English valentine she had received, so clearly the practice of sending Valentine’s cards had existed in England before it became popular in North America. The English practice of sending Valentine’s cards appears in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mr. Harrison’s Confessions (published 1851). Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual “Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary.” The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend in average twice as much money as women.^[6]

 Child dressed in Valentine’s
Day-themed clothing.

Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The mid-nineteenth century Valentine’s Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States, usually from a man to a woman.Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. The day has come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of “Happy Valentine’s Day.” As a joke, Valentine’s Day is also referred to as “Singles Awareness Day.” In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange cards, and eat sweets. The greeting cards of these students sometimes mention what they appreciate about each other.

The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine’s Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards.

There are some families, however, who choose to find other means of honoring Saint Valentine on Valentines Day. Many of these traditions involve bonfires, for fire is said to represent passion.

References:

Background and biographical information is from Wikipedia articles on:

Wikipedia: Valentine’s Day…  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentines_Day

by Gerald Boerner

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Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on December 25, but this date is not known to be Jesus’ actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, a historical Roman festival, or the date of the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although traditionally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and some of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (known as Santa Claus in some areas, including North America, Australia and Ireland) is a popular mythological figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Commemoration of Jesus’ birth

 Adorazione del Bambino (Adoration of the Child) (1439-43),
a mural by Florentine painter Fra Angelico.

In Christianity, Christmas is the festival celebrating the Nativity of Jesus, the Christian belief that the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament’s Messianic prophecies was born to the Virgin Mary. The story of Christmas is based on the biblical accounts given in:

• The Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18-Matthew 2:12, and
• The Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26-Luke 2:40.

According to these accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem. According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals, though neither the stable nor the animals are specifically mentioned in the Biblical accounts. However, a manger is mentioned in Luke 2:7, where it states, "She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Early iconographic representations of the nativity placed the animals and manger within a cave (located, according to tradition, under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem). Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child.

Many Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfilled messianic prophecies from the Old Testament. The Gospel of Matthew also describes a visit by several Magi, or astrologers, who bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant. The visitors were said to be following a mysterious star, commonly known as the Star of Bethlehem, believing it to announce the birth of a king of the Jews. The commemoration of this visit, the Feast of Epiphany celebrated on January 6, is the formal end of the Christmas season in some churches.

Christians celebrate Christmas in many ways. In addition to this day being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of church services, there are numerous other devotions and popular traditions. Prior to Christmas Day, the Eastern Orthodox Church practises the Nativity Fast in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, while much of Western Christianity celebrates Advent. The final preparations for Christmas are made on Christmas Eve.

Over the Christmas period, people decorate their homes and exchange gifts. In some Christian denominations, children perform plays re-telling the events of the Nativity, or sing carols that reference the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene or crib, in their homes, using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Live Nativity scenes and tableaux vivants are also performed, using actors and animals to portray the event with more realism.

A long artistic tradition has grown of producing painted depictions of the nativity in art. Nativity scenes are traditionally set in a barn or stable and include Mary, Joseph, the child Jesus, angels, shepherds and the Three Wise Men: Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar, who are said to have followed a star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, and arrived after his birth.

This is the essence of the real meaning of
Christmas. All other traditions are
culturally-determined, but the birth of
the Christ Child as the fulfillment of the
Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament
(given to the Jewish people).

Background and biographical information is from Wikipedia articles on:

Christmas can be found at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas