VALDOSTA —
From the end of January through the first weeks of February, it becomes impossible to ignore the onslaught of marketing directed at couples, telling them what they need to make Valentine’s Day happy. Cards, flowers, special teddy bears — the message seems to be that love for another person equals buying lots of stuff.
While it is admirable to show appreciation for someone else through a nice gift, in some ways that is the cheap way out. In the hurry-up modern world where husbands and wives both work and sometimes become virtual strangers at home, a Hallmark card pulled off a rack as an afterthought might not be the best way to show love.
So what is the best way to express your true feelings on Valentine’s Day? One good way might be through the gift of time.
Think about the recent Father-Daughter Valentine Dance. Thousands of fathers dressed up and took their equally decked-out daughters to the Conference Center for a festive evening of fun. It wasn’t so much the music or the fancy dresses that made these evenings special. Individual dads showed their little girls how special they are by setting aside time to spend with them.
It’s a sad commentary on our society that technology and material goods tend to devalue the individual.
Communicating through emails or cell phones makes it easier to get in touch with another person, but what kind of connection is being made? Nothing says you love someone better than sitting down with them face to face and talking. Unfortunately, that simple act is harder than ever because of job demands and because of the nature of our technology.
Valentine’s Day, while not a true holiday, remains special because of how it is traditionally linked to romantic love. Wouldn’t it be more loving today to greet and spend time with a loved one instead of falling back on a greeting card to do the work?
What We Think
Don’t fall back on greeting cards
- What We Think
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Historic day celebrated
On January 1, 1863, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are and henceforth shall be free.
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How this garden grew
A special-needs couple wanted a garden. A teacher not only wanted to teach gardening skills but she also wanted to instill a sense of community purpose within her young students.
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Happy Father’s Day
He beamed with pride on our birth. He understood worry upon our birth. He is the giant by which we would judge all men. He protected us. He provided for us. He often sacrificed time with us to provide for us. He spent time with us.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To Stevie Young of Valdosta. The owner of Artistic Taxidermy, Young won Best in the World, Turkey, in the 2013 World Taxidermy Championship. His eastern wild turkey display dominated the competition, earning him the distinction of best in the world. Another title for TitleTown!
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Canning preserves food, way of life
When the going gets tough, the tough getting canning. Valdosta-Lowndes County residents have this opportunity.
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PSST!: Round Two!
With tonight’s opening of “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” Peach State Summer Theatre presents its second show of the 2013 season.
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A responsible fix for pets
The photo and story in Sunday’s paper about the dog whose owners had left him tied up with an electrical cord elicited a tremendous response from readers, outraged at the dog’s treatment.
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A band-aid in a crisis?
The announcement Monday by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that a crisis stabilization center will be built in Lowndes County is good news for some, not so great for others.
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Slowing down for summer
Twenty-some years ago, it seemed Valdosta and South Georgia slowed down for the summer. School was out. Controversies seemed to dwindle. People seemed to work shorter hours despite the longer days.
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Storms: Of preparation and prayer
If you haven’t already, maybe this morning in church would be a good time to say a prayer of thanks that Tropical Storm Andrea blessed us with some much-needed rain while sparing us the overwhelming catastrophe that weather has wreaked upon the Midwest in recent weeks.
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Historic day celebrated
