What is love? It is a deep and abiding feeling. There are stories that have stood the test of time. Passed down from generation to generation, these loves are legends that take place in different times and have changed history. Powerful words – all in the name of love. You might be thinking it is all just another marketing tool for Valentine’s Day, but that is not entirely true. Let us take a walk through time and see. The true emotions have created wars, a love suicide pact, the beheading of a Queen, and political controversy of a King’s love for a forbidden woman. These are real people who were blinded by love that never thought of the consequences their actions would bring that changed history. Helen of Troy was a Queen who was responsible for launching a thousand ships and King Menelaus of Sparta was her husband. She fell in love with Paris, a Prince of Troy, and ran away with him. King Menelaus gathered the Greek states and started a 10-year conflict with Troy. Homer’s classic book “The Iliad” was a great story, but most thought it was a myth until they discovered the ruins of Troy in 1870. Another pair was Mark Anthony, a General of the Roman Empire, and Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt who tried to overthrow Rome from Egypt. When they failed, they had created a love suicide pact so they would be together in the afterlife. Most of us have heard about King Henry the VIII, who was so besotted by Ann Boleyn that he got rid of his first Queen. But alas, Henry was fickle, and soon it was off with her head. They had one child, Elizabeth, who was destined to be the great Queen Elizabeth the First. During her reign she defeated the great Spanish Armada. There was another English King and Emperor, Edward the VIII, who abdicated his kingdom for a great love and grand passion. Wallis Simpson was the lady he wanted to make his Queen, but he could not because she was a twice divorced woman, which was a no-no for the Church of England at that time. He had two choices: keep his crown and marry a virgin or leave the country in exile. He chose to follow his heart because he could not live without Wallis. So, you see, Valentine’s Day is to celebrate the emotion of love. Love can be confusing and powerful, but it can also change our lives and open up new vistas. Love is woven into the patterns of our lives. My wish this year is for you to be blessed with love. Why? Because life is hard, but it is even harder without love.
