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<div><FONT size=4>Hi Paul,</FONT></div>
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<div><FONT size=4>Re: "<FONT color=#6a0b00 face=Calibri>We are trying a welcoming event <FONT face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">"</FONT></FONT></FONT></div>
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<div><FONT color=#6a0b00 size=4>Sounds like a winner to me!</FONT></div>
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<div><FONT size=4>Here is the Textweek link for Feb. 14, but it doesn't seem to mention Valentine's Day (yet): </FONT><FONT size=4> <A href="http://www.textweek.com/yearc/transfigc.htm">http://www.textweek.com/yearc/transfigc.htm</A> </FONT></div>
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<div><FONT size=4>From the wikipedia Valentine's Day article here: <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day</A></FONT></div>
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<div>The U.S. <A title="Greeting Card Association" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_Card_Association"><FONT color=#002bb8>Greeting Card Association</FONT></A> estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind <A title=Christmas href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas"><FONT color=#002bb8>Christmas</FONT></A>. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.<SUP id=cite_ref-american_2-0 class=reference><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day#cite_note-american-2"><FONT color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP></div>
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<div>In <A title="Ancient Rome" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome"><FONT color=#002bb8>Ancient Rome</FONT></A>, <A title=Lupercalia href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercalia"><FONT color=#002bb8>Lupercalia</FONT></A>, observed February 13 through 15, was an archaic rite connected to fertility. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of <A class=mw-redirect title="Juno Februa" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Februa"><FONT color=#002bb8>Juno Februa</FONT></A>, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno," was celebrated on February 13-14. Pope <A class=mw-redirect title="Gelasius I" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelasius_I"><FONT color=#002bb8>Gelasius I</FONT></A> (492-496) abolished Lupercalia.</div>
<div>It is a common opinion that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to <A title=Christianization href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization"><FONT color=#002bb8>Christianize</FONT></A> celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia, and that a commemorative feast was established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, of those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God," among whom was Valentine, was set for the useful day. Alternatively, William M. Green argues that the Catholic Church could not abolish the deeply rooted Lupercalia festival, so the church set aside a day to honor the Virgin Mary.<SUP id=cite_ref-16 class=reference><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day#cite_note-16"><FONT color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>17<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP></div>
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<div><FONT size=4>And:</FONT></div>
<div><A id=icePage_SearchResults_ResultsRepeaterByRelevance_ResultRepeaterWeb_ctl09_WebResult_ResultLink class=resultLink onmouseover="window.status='http://www.history.com/content/valentine';return true" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;" href="http://www.dogpile.com/clickserver/_iceUrlFlag=1?rawURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Fcontent%2Fvalentine&0=&1=0&4=66.65.102.165&5=66.65.102.165&9=b007825a02e7447db9d3f091ef94ca01&10=1&11=info.dogpl&13=search&14=239138&15=main-title&17=10&18=3&19=0&20=6&21=4&22=B1sncUgRZMQ%3D&23=0&40=jS8jh6FTXjB5bmQ9VEy9%2FA%3D%3D&_IceUrl=true"><FONT color=#003399 size=5>The History of <STRONG>Valentine's</STRONG> <STRONG>Day</STRONG> </FONT></A></div>
<div id=icePage_SearchResults_ResultsRepeaterByRelevance_ResultRepeaterWeb_ctl09_WebResult_ResultLinkDescriptionWrapper class=resultDescription><SPAN id=icePage_SearchResults_ResultsRepeaterByRelevance_ResultRepeaterWeb_ctl09_WebResult_ListingDescription><A href="http://www.history.com/content/valentine">http://www.history.com/content/valentine</A></SPAN></div>
<div class=resultDescription><SPAN>Learn the history of <STRONG>Valentine's</STRONG> <STRONG>Day</STRONG>, send free ecards, get dating tips, a <STRONG>Valentine's</STRONG> <STRONG>Day</STRONG> survival guide, find romantic movies and more at History.com. </SPAN></div>
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<div><FONT size=4>Let's see if others have suggestions.</FONT></div>
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<div><FONT size=4>Peace and blessings,</FONT></div>
<div><FONT size=4>Joe</FONT></div>
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: helvetica,arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Paul D Balaban <Paul.D.Balaban@ecunet.org><br>
To: PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org<br>
Sent: Wed, Jan 13, 2010 9:38 pm<br>
Subject: RE: Fwd: 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany Sermon<br>
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<div id=AOLMsgPart_2_6f716338-016c-4319-a714-4b25b12b3659>
<div><FONT color=#6a0b00 size=4 face=Calibri>Joe,</FONT></div>
<div><FONT color=#6a0b00 size=4 face=Calibri>Do you have any suggestions for Valentines (aka Transfiguration) Day? We are trying a welcoming event and guessing that "outsiders" might respond to one more than another. Thanks. - Paul in Qtown!</FONT></div>
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<div style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<div style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=JOE.PARRISH@ecunet.org href="mailto:JOE.PARRISH@ecunet.org">JOE PARRISH</A> </div>
<div><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 12, 2010 6:10 PM</div>
<div><B>To:</B> <A title=PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org href="mailto:PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org">PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org</A> </div>
<div><B>Subject:</B> Fwd: 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany Sermon</div>
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<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=left><BIG><FONT face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Forwarded:</FONT></BIG></div>
<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><BIG><FONT face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"></FONT></BIG> </div>
<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><BIG><FONT face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">2nd</FONT> Sunday after the Epiphany</BIG><SMALL><br>
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</SMALL><BIG>John 2:1-11</BIG><SMALL><br>
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</SMALL><BIG>1 Corinthians 12:1-11</BIG><SMALL><br>
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</SMALL><BIG>Acres of Diamonds<br>
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