Suma George –
Valentine’s Day has its roots long before chocolates and roses filled store shelves. The celebration traces back to St. Valentine, a Christian martyr believed to have lived in the 3rd century, who honored marriage and commitment even at great personal cost.
Over time, especially by the Middle Ages, the day became associated with romantic love, loyalty, and staying together through life—values that remain at the heart of Valentine’s Day, beyond all its modern expressions.
For many of us who married decades ago, Valentine’s Day was not always the occasion it is today. Just after our marriage in the 1990s, this day was hardly noticed in India. It was only years later—perhaps as our children grew—that Valentine’s Day began to be celebrated more openly, influenced by the West. As someone who enjoys marking special occasions, I remember slowly embracing it in simple ways: wearing something red, going out for dinner, and sharing quiet smiles.
In later years, one small gesture remains tender in my heart—my husband surprising me with a single red rose. Yes, there was increasing commercialism all around us, but what mattered was never the noise of the world. It was our togetherness, lived in simple, meaningful ways.
For widows and widowers—young and old—Valentine’s Day carries a different weight. Yet it need not be a day of avoidance or sorrow alone. It can become a day of gentle remembrance, honoring the love that once filled ordinary days and sustained us through extraordinary ones.
Some find comfort in revisiting memories: a favorite meal once shared, a familiar song, a quiet prayer of gratitude. Others find solace in companionship—with friends who understand, or in faith that assures us love is not lost, only transformed. These small, personal observances are not about holding on to the past, but about respecting a bond that shaped our lives.
Seen through a widow’s eyes, Valentine’s Day reminds us that love between couples does not end with absence. It lives on—in values passed down, in strength quietly carried forward, and in the deep assurance that loving well was a gift.
May this day offer comfort to those who walk alone, and peace to those who remember a hand once held. The love we shared was real—and that itself is something worth honoring.
“What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” — Helen Keller
My dear suma, thankyoh for sharing such Beautiful thoughts. God bless u and all those who travel like u. Congrats dear. I am proud of u .