
When
Esther Allen Howland received an English Valentine in 1847, she was so gripped by the idea of making her own that she imported the necessary embossed lace paper from England and built a successful business around the lovely greetings. Howland not only designed wonderful valentines, she is also credited with innovations that made them even more beautiful such as the
colored paper placed beneath the perforated lace paper for additional contrast.
Now, 1847 certainly seems like a long time ago, but compared to eternity this is nothing, of course. Still, there is eternity in every moment, and sometimes we can feel it with undoubting certainty:
›› While this lovely letter is sent in seconds, love's dimension is eternity. (IncrediMail)