"V" minus 7 days and counting...

The mother-of-all-Hallmark-holidays is a week away: Saint Valentine's Day. It seems to me that it is supposed to be a bigger deal every year, but that's probably just as more and more retailers try to make a fast buck off of it. I mean, why else would grocery stores advertise special express lanes for Valentine's shoppers?

Of course, from a Liturgical standpoint, this year's Valentines Day is potentially challenging, as it comes the day after Ash Wednesday—the traditional start of Lent, a season often associated with the "giving up" of something. I have known many people who have given up chocolate for the duration of Lent, thus limiting this year's gift-giving options. (I won't bore you by going in to how the spirit and practice of Lent often diverge, nor how a certain other theme park in Orlando manages to celebrate Mardi Gras all the way through Easter.)

On the home front, this will be our 7th consecutive Valentines Day, and once again, I find myself to be the one that is less interested in celebrating. Someone else, though, requested an early shfit that morning and a late one on Friday, because, of course, we have to do something. I've finally told him to just let me know when, where, and what to wear, and I'll participate.