According to the story, Valentine was a Catholic bishop who believed in the sanctity of marriage, but the Roman emperor Claudius believed single men were better soldiers. In 269 AD, Emperor Claudius II declared marriage in his empire illegal.

Bishop Valentine, in spite of the emperor’s ban, performed secret marriage ceremonies but was found out, arrested and sentenced to death. While he languished in prison, waiting for his execution, the bishop fell in love with his jailer’s daughter.

The object of his affection was blind but Valentine’s love and great faith miraculously restored her vision. Prior to his execution, the bishop signed a farewell message to his beloved: "From your Valentine" — a phrase still used today.

Two centuries later, the Catholic church commemorated February 14th, the date of the bishop’s execution, as St. Valentine’s Day. In the many years since, many traditions have become a part of the saint’s day. During the Middle Ages, both men and women would draw names to determine their Valentine and the names were worn on their sleeves. This is thought to be the origin of the phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve."

However, another version of the origination of the phrase comes from the Middle Ages. Young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproofing on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because we were outside playing!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back by when the street lights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the breaks. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstation's, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all. No 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms.

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our tenth birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how do deal with it all AND YOU ARE ONE OF THEM! CONGRATULATIONS!