Community Corner

How He Popped The Question

Local resident Erika Hilliard shares with Fredericksburg Patch her own love story with her husband John, and her own definition of this special day.

By Erika Hilliard

I can still remember the day that I will not and can't forget. We’ve been together as “friends” for quite a while. We would always go to the park (various parks) sightseeing and enjoying the peace and quiet visiting the landscapes. I can remember the moment of John's proposal at the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania Park off Lafayette Boulevard. The scene was beautiful. He loves the history and scenery of all parks, so I truly I will always remember what meaning it has to me and also him. We were about to have a picnic lunch like always and then he said:  

“I promise to love you forever, I found everything I needed when I found you, your friendship is precious to me. You have touched my heart with so much pleasure it makes my heart break into pieces. We will continue to walk in the Love of the Lord. You will make me happy, laugh and smile. I know we will not always have perfect days but we will work them out and smile together for the rest of our days. Marry Me?”

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It was sealed with a kiss and hopefully we will never part one another until God calls one of us home first.

My Definition of Valentine's Day

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Valentine’s Day is traditionally recognized as the annual holiday celebration of love. But what does that really mean?  To answer that question, we must first determine how we define love. Do we mean romantic love between couples only? Do we mean love between friends and family? How should we celebrate and show our love? 

Most people think of this holiday as being for couples, a chance to share a romantic evening together that is indicative of their feelings for one another. This interpretation is backed up by the use of Cupid as a symbol of the holiday to represent couples being “shot in the heart with arrows with love." Many men and women frantically search for the ultimate way to spend this day to show their love for their romantic partners, putting a great deal of pressure on themselves for fear that if they don’t come up with some extravagant plan that they may disappoint their partner and ultimately damage the relationship.

Over time though, people have begun to also celebrate their love for their friends and family on this holiday. Greeting cards have begun to reflect this change with more and more cards being created for family and friend relationships as opposed to just romantic relationships. In these relationships there appears to be a lot less stress associated with choosing the perfect gift or setting to celebrate the love that is felt. It is a more simple defined relationship.

Valentine’s Day truly is the holiday of love. It both sparks excitement and ignites fear in the hearts of many lovers, while providing a chance to show real feelings of love for friends and family, as well as romantic partners. Yet it is possible that Cupid might be confused by the way we celebrate Valentine’s Day today. While couples are out running around trying to find some lavish, expensive, exotic way to prove their love for their mates, I believe Cupid is looking down, shaking his head and wondering where things went wrong.

Valentine’s Day is meant to be a day to stop and take time to acknowledge the pure, simple love we feel for one another. A walk in the park, holding hands and sharing some quiet time together is just fine for accomplishing this mission. Just sharing a home with a few candles is all that’s needed to say “I love you and value our time together.”  We have turned a holiday established to celebrate the purest of emotions into a commercial feast for restaurants, hotels jewelers, florists and the candy and card industries.  It truly is time we stopped to consider our definition of love. 


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