Hearts and ashes

When our days begin to wane, and we come to sum up our existence, love is the legacy we leave, the light we carry forward, and the ultimate measure of our lives.

Valentine's Day is an annual symphony of sentiment where hearts flutter, florists flourish, and affection is expressed tenderly, one rose petal at a time. Valentine's Day coincided with Ash Wednesday this year, which beckoned the faithful to reflect and repent. The two observances last coincided ten years ago. Before that, we must go back to 1945 when the world emerged from a bloody war seeking peace and understanding, much as our own seeks comfort and connection today.  

Tracing Valentine's Day back to its roots reveals a history steeped in both pagan and Christian traditions. Legend has it that Valentine's Day commemorates a defiant saint who performed marriage ceremonies before they were acceptable. Over the centuries, it evolved into a secular celebration of love. The customs surrounding Valentine's Day are as varied as the cultures that embrace it—from Japan's month-long chocolate exchanges to the Welsh tradition of gifting intricately carved 'lovespoons'—each practice reflects a universal song of love while singing its unique cultural verse.

In contrast to Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday is a Christian holy day. But the themes it invokes—reflection, repentance, and the acknowledgment of mortality—are not limited to Christians. They are echoed across many other faiths. From the solemn fasts of Ramadan to the introspective atonement of Yom Kippur, the search for redemption weaves a common thread through the tapestry of human experience.

The confluence of Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday offered a dual-lens through which we can examine our lives. The Christian faithful were reminded of their earthly transience with the words, "Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return." This memento mori extends far beyond the confines of a single day or even 40. Within it lies a call to live each day as if it were our last, to look beyond the superficial and embrace the most sacred form of love. A love that is not declared with fleeting gifts but demonstrated through how we live our lives—with everyday acts of kindness, understanding, and sacrifice.

As we journey through our lives, let this year's coincidental calendar quirk remind us that love's greatest gift is its ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, to turn moments into memories, and to imbue our fleeting days with eternal significance. When our days begin to wane, and we come to sum up our existence, love is the legacy we leave, the light we carry forward, and the ultimate measure of our lives.

An earlier version of this article appeared in the Dawson Centre Newsletter.