I hate commercially imported celebrations ...

[Caesar]

... but I love my wife, so I thought that a Valentine card once in decades could be appreciated by her, nothwithstanding we share the same view thereabout and, curiously, it was!

Here's what I purposedly assembled for her from my old and mended heart.


I hope You noticed also the ECG outcome, although it's written in Italian and the nib can only go left to right ....

[Alexandra]

Awwwwwwww Cesare, I think she will love it. Cherish the ones you love-spoil her-at least today!

[limey-g]

Nicely done Caesar, interesting note my wife's name is Roberta.
Geoff

[Rowena]

Thats the nicest valentines card I have seen - straight from the heart!

[justjean]

How sweet and how nice that Roberta can still make your heart jump

[coops]

Lovely card Cesare,

[Caesar]

Thank You, dear Sandra! Actually we should be always well aware of any blessing around us, never give anything for granted and be grateful for anything we may enjoy, thus building on our joy and hope, but, usually, we hardly do so with due continuity and discipline ...

Dear Geoff, curiously it looks like our wife's name is not the only coincidence we share, since we also both like paintings with nice ladies ... Thank You!

Dear Rowena, we use to idiomatically say "I tell You with my heart on hand" to mean, more or less "most sincerely and involvedly". If I painted a hand too behind that would have been one more side message. Thank You!

That's another way to interpret it, dear Jean. Roberta as my ever lasting pace-maker. Quite correct I'd say, regardless of my age. Thank You!

Thank You, dear Katie!
A most concrete sign I'd say, maybe vaguely inspired by the symbols of our traditional, ancient religiousness where faith is not just a matter of speculation and intellectual or individual phylosophy, of positive intent, but is also passion, hope, sense of community and brotherhood, practice, compassion, social commitment and practical, direct action up to sacrifice if required. Not much different from what conjugal and familiar love too should be, I guess.

[D Akey]

And here I was under the impression that Italians love joy and festivals. But bloody foreign festivals. . . importing all that wretched commercial sentiment. . . I'm afraid it's one of the down sides of being the center of the universe (all roads lead to Rome sort of thing. . .)

I'm telling ya, I would question anything coming from outside Rome itself, Caesar. It is a suspicion from a lesson hard learned when the Romans lived in the City of Troy. They let in something that seemed to be good, and the city was lost. No, I would not trust those dang outsiders. . . I do hope your wife was from Rome originally. . . otherwise put her back at the gates.

Incidentally, Valentine's Day is optional.

[Caesar]

Dear D Akey, actually San Valentino is not a foreigner here , not even a narrated miracle related to a couple of young fiancés occurred somewhere else; morever his burials are here, partly in Terni and partly in Rome (You know saints bones are venerated and effective).

So I'm evidently not against the scope of any celebration (we imported and re-adapted in case, so many of them and from any religion in here from all over the known world in the last couple of millennia), but the problem is that any new "feast" has got only a commercial purpose in these decades and has no real spirit .

• We celebrate women to have us spending money with flowers at sensibly higher prices and them possibly have a dinner among them (which isn't forbidden in any other cheaper day).
• We doubled Carnival attires and feasts expenditures by adding those of Halloween.
• We found Valentine's day (here San Valentino) as an opportunity to have another big round of expenditures in between Christmas, Carnival and Easter.
• We also recovered (not to be chauvinist) and multiplied quite a number of ancient local traditions along the line of the Palio while many other even more cultural and spiritual traditions are disappearing.

So far we only miss the Thanksgiving in here , which would make as much sense for us in Europe to celebrate as the Battle of Lepanto would in US. (Maybe even a little unpolite to be glad because we got rid of a bunch of bigot people , just like inviting to a toast in Ankara for Lepanto or in Jerusalem for the succes of the first Crusade).
Moreover, curiously enough, it seems that festivals and celebrations are hardly two-ways in their exchanges and spreading.
Nonetheless nothing's wrong with enjoying any positive feeling with anyone and anything in the world together with the relevant artistic, cultural and human meanings, outcome and and elements, insofar we're not bombed so as to waste money according to even the faintest trends and fads.
Obviously, as You say, many induced needs are optional, but You also know there are ways to make them appear as necessary and subliminally printed in our minds, in our children's mainly, so that, eventually it seems that "nothing is more necessary than the superfluous".
Anyway the quite common Not Invented Here syndrome didn't use to affect my country, rather the contrary, I think. I must also say that this was beneficial and profitable to me too and came easier also because of my positive attitude towards learning decently a few foreign languages.
Finally a warm and friendly Valentine's Day wish to You, dearest mate!

[Mairzie Dotes]

Caesar,
Professing love to the ones we hold dear can be reflected in many
ways, flowers, candy, card, a caress, but most importent ... it
matters not the occasion or just another day, it should always be
expressed and well you did with this heartfelt piece. Touching and
well painted!