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A man once said to me, “I told my wife I loved her once, why do I have to tell her again?”

Maybe that foolhardy statement is one of the reasons many men get irked by Valentine’s Day. I was one of them.

Men are headliners, while women are fine print people. Men say, “Just give me the facts.” Once we have those facts, we don’t like going over old ground. We have got it all worked out, and we don’t like repeating ourselves.

Aussie guy proposes to girlfriend in packed cinema. Best wedding proposal EVER!

The opposite is generally true when it comes to the fairer sex. Women love detail. I don’t know how many times I have explained something to my wife and she has asked me for more detail, or to tell it to her again. This can be quite annoying for any husband, especially for a man who is ignorant of a woman’s needs as I often am.

Well guys, Valentine’s Day is one of those days you have to repeat yourself, and give the woman of your dreams some much needed details.

Some people call it ‘romance’, others call it ‘communication’. Whatever it is, if you don’t use this opportunity to practice the art of love, you are simply being ornery.

Sure, Valentine’s Day is hopelessly over-commercialised, but let’s face the facts — what isn’t over-commercialised in our market-driven materialistic culture?

Our job as fathers is to look for the good within the cultural framework of our existence, and then use those events to help build our families’ future.

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Anzac Day, Good Friday and Christmas Day all have some redeeming elements for our families. Let’s make sure we milk them to the max for the positive effects they can have on our families.

Valentine’s Day is derived from the name of St Valentine, who was a devout Christian living during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military campaigns.

Claudius believed that Roman men did not want to leave their loved ones or families in order to go to war. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.

Valentine, who was the equivalent of a modern-day priest or Christian minister, refused to obey this unjust and ridiculous edict. Valentine and others with him continued to aid their fellow believers and secretly married couples who wanted to pledge their troth in marriage.

For this act of kindness, Valentine was put in prison and ultimately cruelly executed. Tradition tells us that while in prison, he prayed for the prison guard’s daughter, who was healed of blindness.

Many other young people came to the gaol to visit Valentine. Some threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted Valentine to know they were thankful that he would risk his life to marry them and accept their vows of love.

On the day that he died, February 14, AD 268, Valentine left a note of love and encouragement for the jailor’s daughter in her newfound faith, signed simply, ‘Your Valentine’. The rest is history. Now 1 billion Valentine’s cards are exchanged with words of love and encouragement around the world.

Lovework

Valentine’s Day has a lot of positives. Why don’t you repeat yourself this Valentine’s Day, Friday 14 February, and do something special with the love of your life? Make her feel special. Take her out on a romantic date. Go and see a romantic movie.

Repeat yourself creatively with a message of your love for her. Tell her she is the woman of your dreams and the most wonderful mother of your children. Give her the details and fine print that she needs to know she is loved. Remember her needs are different to yours. The greatest thing a man can do for his children is love his wife.

Yours for Valentine’s Day,
Warwick Marsh

PS: One more piece of homework. Get the woman of your dreams to watch the video “Aussie guy proposes to girlfriend in packed cinema”. Great way to get ready for Valentine’s Day!