February 14th, 2020 - Valentine’s Day.  

Valentine’s day is now a glorified Hallmark holiday centered around buying flowers and chocolate.  However, it is believed to have rather sinister historical origins dating back to Ancient Rome, where from February 13th to 15th, the celebratory feast of Lupercalia took place.  Women would line up to be whipped by men using the pelts of both goats and dogs they had sacrificed, believing that it would bring the women fertility.   

Over time, the holiday began to take on a sweeter meaning, thanks largely to a poem written in the late 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer.  The poem references birds gathering together to choose their mates on ’Seynt Valentynes Day’.  In 1477, Margery Brews penned the earliest known letter of its kind, in which she referred to the recipient as her “Valentine”.  William Shakespeare further romanticized the holiday throughout his work in the 15th and 16th century.  Eventually, bestowing handmade paper cards to loved ones began to take shape as a yearly holiday tradition.  This practice exploded in 1913, when a company out of Kansas City, Missouri called Hallmark Cards began mass producing valentines; marking the beginnings of the modern Valentine’s Day as we know it.  

You may have read the first part of the story and thought that it was some crazy custom long forgotten.  And while the specifics of the story may be outdated, domestic violence is widely prevalent in our current society.  It affects as many as 10-12 million women and men every single year here in the US. Unfortunately, domestic violence is often very difficult to identify, as many cases go unreported.

Here are some staggering facts:

- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men aged 18 and older have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

- Nearly half of all adults have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 

- 35% of men and 81% of women who experience intimate partner violence reported short or long-term impacts such as PTSD and injury.  

- A child witnessed violence in nearly 1 in 4 intimate partner physical abuse cases filed in state courts.

- 30 to 60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the household.

Sadly, family violence gives rise to subsequent violence perpetrated by those involved.  This is how we see the “cycle of abuse” perpetuated from exposed children into their adult relationships and further on into the care of the elderly.  

We here at Till The Days End absolutely condemn all forms of domestic violence and we would like to do our part to help survivors of abuse get the help they so dearly need.  So today, in honor of all survivors of domestic abuse, we are proud to present “Once Upon A Time”, a song about rising up and overcoming suffering and abuse. The song’s lyrics were penned by one of our frequent collaborators, who himself experienced domestic abuse as a child.   

All proceeds from the sale and stream of “Once Upon A Time” will go directly to the Heartly House in Frederick, MD.  You can purchase the song directly from us by clicking HERE.  

To learn more about the Heartly House:
www.heartlyhouse.org

To donate directly to the Heartly House,:
www.heartlyhouse.org/donate/one-time-donations/

To see a list of physical items the Heartly House needs to operate:
www.heartlyhouse.org/donate/in-kind-donations/