Love, not gifts, focus of Valentine’s Day

Editor’s Note: Student Union’s weekly columns are a joint effort of the region’s high schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. This week’s column was written by Schenck High School students. Their adviser is Charla Lowell.

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

– Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Valentine’s Day, a day for lovers and love, is a time to spend with family, friends and with that special someone. It is also a great time to reflect on your relationships and reminisce about all the good times shared and special plans for the future.

As holidays approach, we always find ourselves fretting and worrying over what to buy for that special someone when in reality the best gift a person could ever receive is love.

The first valentine is believed to have been a poem written by Charles, the Duke of Orleans, in 1415. This was written for his wife while he was in prison at the Tower of London.

The poem can be viewed today in the British Museum in London. The tradition of sending a special valentine to the people close to you has continued for almost 600 years.

For those who have that “one special person,” much thought goes into making Valentine’s Day perfect. Originally, the gifts were solely expressions of affection, but today they also include material things, which over time we have felt more and more obligated to buy.

When did Valentine’s Day become so materialistic? What happened to the simple poem, “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you,” or the original heart-shaped valentines signed with X’s and O’s?

Valentine’s Day is a day to show someone love and affection, not a day to try to buy a person’s love.

Valentine’s Day is not just a holiday for couples, but a time of love, regardless of whether it is shared with a significant other, family member or friend. We must always remember that life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. If you do not have that “one special person” in your life, take some time and make someone’s day extra special. It might be a quick call to someone who doesn’t get out much, to ask them how they are and if you can do anything for them.

Our society today is too focused on using gifts or material items to show our appreciation to others. We shouldn’t be preoccupied with this approach when love is the foundation of a relationship and cannot be bought.

On this Valentine’s Day, let’s not stress the small things, such as what to buy and whom to buy it for. Instead, remember this is a day of love and appreciation, when we can reward ourselves by giving the gifts of love.

Schools participating in Student Union include Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, John Bapst Memorial High School, Old Town High School, Mount Desert Island Regional High School, Stearns High School in Millinocket, Nokomis Regional High School, Hermon High School and Schenck High School in East Millinocket.