Here's a new cache to celebrate Valentine's Day. The original cache in this location, "El Corazon" GC191XN was one of the first I hunted when I moved here. It was published just right before Valentine's Day 2008 and archived exactly two years ago on Valentine's Day. I have always had a very special place in my heart (tee hee hee) for V-Day, as I am a hopeless romantic, and celebrate it every year. Although the legends are several, the original Valentine (Valentinus in Latin) is a recognized saint of the Roman Catholic Church who reportedly performed at least one miracle of curing a girl's blindness and was then beheaded by Emperor Claudius II for preaching his faith. The story I find the most attractive is the one of St. Valentine secretely marrying Christian couples, which was illegal. He was caught, imprisoned and sentenced to death. Despite this condemnation, he healed the jailer's daughter of her blindness. He was so bold as to attempt to convert the Emperor to his faith, but Claudius had him beaten with clubs and stoned. He endured this torture and failed to die, so he was beheaded. Appropriately, his name comes from the same root as "valour." One legend says he left the jailer's daughter a note on the day of his execution signed, "Your Valentine." The legend of how the holy day came to be always makes me ponder over the deeper meaning and to understand the deep red as the symbol of passion, blood and the beating heart. Just how much is one willing to sacrifice for love?
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Congratulations to Old River Runner for the FTF!