This month in the Genesis Art Teacher Training Course, we’re focusing on the art of “validation,” the wonderful feeling that both giver and receiver feel from a genuine, heartfelt word or two of appreciation.
I don’t think I ever would have noticed the similarity between “validation” and “Valentine” except that I was writing our GATT group a message and those two words slipped into the same sentence–being that tomorrow is February 14th, Valentines Day.
And Validation is at the heart of everything we do in Genesis art workshops.
I became curious. I’m no Latin scholar but then again, there are no coincidences. Everything is beautifully connected. I googled Valentine and learned that beyond the universal awareness that this heart-shaped holiday was named after the patron saint of lovers, St. Valentine, the name Valentine itself might actually have originated from the Latin word “valens.” And valens means strong and healthy.
When we validate someone – recognizing and genuinely appreciating them — could it be that we are actually blessing them at the same time to be “strong and healthy?” I’d like to think so. And what we give to others naturally returns to ourselves.
Happy Validation Day!