WHO WAS THE REAL ST. VALENTINE?

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't finish him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.


Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like:
Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880
Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-580-4052
Franklin County Farmers Market 641-456-4811
Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234
Seven Stars Restaurant – 641-456-5378
Debra Brown – Melaleuca - 641-458-1114

Six Things I Learned From Children
1. Live in the moment.      It’s great to plan and dream — but let’s not forget to enjoy where we are at this very moment.
2. Breakfast is a good thing.  A bowl of fiber cereal, maybe an egg and bacon, or just a protein shake.  Breakfast can change your world.  You set the pace for the day – and if you don’t eat breakfast, your body thinks it is starving and will save up all those calories as fat storage.
3. Toys!  More toys! We learn pretty early that toys kick start our imagination.  Little kids play with legos and learn to create cities and worlds out of little pieces of plastic.  As adults – what toys are you using every day?  I like my Blackberry Pearl, my iPod wannabe, and my laptop.  Use your toys to spark your imagination.
4. Walk away from mean people. Kids have the ability to determine if someone is worth their time.  Mean people?  They just ignore them and walk away.  What if we did the same thing?
5. Repeat repeat repeat. Kids repeat what they hear.  They say things over and over until they get it.  They repeat it to their friends.  It’s how they process things.  We could repeat the good things we hear for a change! (come on – we hear the news all day long, and its the same thing at night that you heard in the morning – and mostly all bad news.)
6. Ask for what you want.  I just got back from a road trip to Kansas.  My 5 year old great nephew asked for some toys.  He was very specific.  He wanted a Walmart sword, some Scooby Doo little plastic people and a Kansas tshirt.  Not a Missouri shirt – he had one of those already.  He got exactly what he asked for.  What do you want?

Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like:
Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880
Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-580-4052
Franklin County Farmers Market 641-456-4811
Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234
Seven Stars Restaurant – 641-456-5378
Debra Brown – Melaleuca - 641-458-1114