BY MeShonya Wren-Coleman, Ph.D.
1 Corinthians 13:13, reads, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
February is the month that many couples scramble to successfully pull off something romantic or extra special for Valentine’s Day. This commercialized day for love has honestly been one that I have never gravitated to because every day should be an expression of love. But you have individuals who acknowledge this day for the simple reason to either gain public attention from social media or because your guilty conscience make you feel as though you must show love on this particular day even though you haven’t done so all year long.


Please do not get me wrong, you have some couples who genuinely have authentic love for each other and utilize this as another day to celebrate their significant other, children, parents, etc. You get the picture! What does love really have to do with this day? From what I am detecting and researching, absolutely nothing.
This day has several myths to it. One being that it was named after Saint Valentine of Rome who married young lovers in secret and was beheaded for doing so. According to history.com, while some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.
Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. With all this being said, what does love have to with Valentine Day?

One last piece of information that I would like to share that before Valentine’s death he sent a letter to a young girl and signed it “From your Valentine.” It was assumed that it was someone he had fallen in love with, but this was never really identified or confirmed. Cards and gifts that are given February 14th usually have that same signature line, “From your Valentine.”
In 2024, Americans spent $25.8 billion on Valentine’s Day. In my opinion, this is one day that businesses are able to capitalize off billions of dollars from those who purchased gifts to express counterfeit love for a day. How many people can we feed or house with $25.8 billion in one day? How many medical bills could have been paid in this one day? How many student loans could have been off in this one day? How many scholarships could have been given to students wanting to pursue a higher education? How many salaries could have been increased?
Again, I ask what does love really have to do with this day? Please pardon me for being a Debbie Downer for this particular celebrated day, because for years I was one who received a gift that only showcased counterfeit love. If the love shown on this commercialized day cannot be that of agape love 365 days, then why bother for this one day.

What are your true intentions behind the gift? Let us be consistent with the love we display, and may it be a love that can be seen through your daily actions. Because those days you can sign “From your Valentine” without it being February 14th are the days that really count and matter.

Dr. MeShonya Wren-Coleman is a 25-year veteran in higher education and is currently the Vice President and Dean of Students at Bethel College in North Newton, KS. She is an expert in building programs around student success and training those on the importance of prioritizing premium customer service. Dr. Wren-Coleman is Editor-at-large at reelurbannews.com.