HI Welcome! My name is Sissi, in case you wandered into my world some other way besides through the Fantasy Realm Castle front door!

For those of you who have been here before, I hope you like the new look of this page! I think it looks much more cheerful! *smiling*

Happy Valentines Day! Here is a card from me to you if you would like to have it! :)

Like other days of celebration within our culture, Valentine's Day has its origins in pagan times. In ancient Rome this feast day was known as Lupercalia, the "feast of Lupercus."

Each year in the middle of February the Romans honored the god Lupercus, giving him thanks for protecting them from the wolves which roamed the woods. The people feasted, danced and played games. When the young men wanted partners for the dancing and games, they drew names of girls from bowls. Sometimes they became sweethearts.

When Christianity came to Rome, the Christian Romans put aside their belief in Lupercus, but because Lupercalia was a happy time, and they did not want to give it up, the feast of Lupercalia was replaced with the feast of St. Valentine.

Although Christianity had come to Rome, it was not accepted byt he Roman Emperor Claudius II, who considered himself a god. Many times people were arrested and sometimes killed for believing in Jesus instead of the Emperor.

One year a young couple, Julius and Octivia, who loved each other very much, wanted to get married. Since soldiers in that city were not allowed to get married, they decided to wed secretly. They went to a very kind priest who lived outside of the city, Friar Valentine.

When Julius and Octavia arrived at Fr. Valentine's home, they found a beautiful flower garden. Fr. Valentine was surrounded by little children who were helping him with his plants and flowers. As the children left, Fr. Valentine gave each of them a bouquet of flowers to take with them.

One day the children went to the garden to visit with Fr. Valentine. When they arrived they found the flowers trampled and the house empty. Fr. Valentine had been taken away to jail because he believed that Jesus was God.

The children decided to care for Fr. Valentine's garden. They knew that would make him happy. Every day some of the children would take him flowers from his garden, including the jailor's blind daughter.

Before Fr. Valentine was put to death for believing in God, he prayed to Jesus asking him to heal the jailor's daughter of her blindness. She was healed! Before Fr. Valentine died, he wrote her a good-bye letter and signed it "From Your Valentine."

Ever since then, February 14, the day Fr. Valentine died, became a day of celebrating. When we give and receive gifts, flowers and cards on St. Valentine's day we remember the kindness of Fr. Valentine showed by showing our love for others.

My Dear Sister, For Valentine's Day I wish for you a vacation here at the lighthouse where you and I can sit and talk and smell the ocean breeze, dream of years before we walked here and who preceded us. I'd wish we could wander here, laying in the grass to rest and laugh until the sun set. All of my love to you Sissi!