At the "heart" of the month of February is Valentine's Day -- a day steeped in a history of wings. Did you know that the tradition of sending "valentines" as love tokens on February 14 actually had no connection to the saint's day? Rather, it came from an early European belief that the second week of February was when birds began to mate.

Of course, birds aren't the only winged creatures associated with Valentine's Day. Cupid, the Roman god of love, earned mention in the most famous love story of all time, as Mercutio proclaims to Romeo in the first act of Romeo and Juliet, "You are a lover; borrow Cupid's wings and soar with them."

Here at American Airlines, we know that sometimes love is reason enough to take flight and soar. Ask Texan Jaime Rais, who submitted her story, "Take time to fly," through the http://www.whyyoufly.com Web site. Two years ago, Rais says, "I met the man of my dreams in the Las Vegas Airport. Ironically, we were both awaiting the same AA flight to Dallas."

Rais says she and Richard Lack, "enjoyed an amazing two-year courtship and we will marry in May 2005. Dreams do come true when you take time to fly."

No doubt Gordon Shilkus of Chicago would agree. His submission's title, "My Love in New Jersey" gives away the geographic issues facing him and Barbara Freire, who he calls "the most wonderful woman ever to grace my life."

It is a problem, Shilkus admits, that "she lives in New Jersey and I live in Chicago ... the reason I fly each and every week has to do with love." So while Shilkus says "we have made this relationship work for the past year due to love and devotion," there is an additional bonus for him as he takes wing northeast.

"What has also made it a more pleasant experience is my 'American Airlines family' in Chicago and Philadelphia," he wrote. "I have never been treated with such care and concern as I am with the outstanding employees in both cities. I have traveled so much this past year and have made friends with many employees of American. We have celebrated one year together and we love each other more than anything in the world. Thank you American Airlines for treating me like one of your own."

More thanks to AA come from Minnesotan Susan Adams, who in her submission, "Long Distance Relationship," writes that she met her significant other, Jeff Hoffman, at a convention in Florida in 2002 through mutual friends.

A year later, although he lived in Texas -- far from the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes -- the two started dating. "We flew back and forth from Texas to Minnesota until January of 2004," she says, "and now we fly between St. Louis and Minnesota. [That's] 16 months of frequent flyer miles." When Adams' son graduates from high school in June of 2006, she says, "then I can move and use those frequent flyer miles for traveling with my favorite person. Thank you American Airlines for making it easy to see the one I love."

No, thank you Susan (and Gordon and Jaime), for choosing American Airlines ... where love takes flight. At American Airlines, we know why you fly.

Send us your own stories, photos or even video, by visiting http://www.whyyoufly.com.