Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone!
This is the first St. Patrick's Day that I will be celebrating in 11 years. Let me give you a little background.
My best friend Rachel and I have known each other for 22 years. I met her when we were both working at Shoney's and we have been road dogs, best buds, friends for life, whatever you want to call it, ever since. The only holiday that Rachel really dislikes is St. Patrick's Day. This is because it was her mother's birthday and her mother (also named Rachel) was killed by a drunk driver when Rachel was 14. So, she has pretty much avoided the day in any kind of celebratory way.
Now, me, on the other hand. I am half Irish and half Native American (Apache/Cherokee). The Irish side is my mom's. After Christmas, St. Pat's was my mom's favorite holiday and as such, she raised me in the grand tradition of the green. Shamrocks, leprechauns, my pot o' gold, Danny Boy and the whole nine yards. Every year, she would make a special outfit for the day, a green pantsuit or a green dress. She was so incredibly proud of her Irish heritage that it was contagious. Between the two of us, we finally managed to get even Rachel to enjoy the day, as her own mother had. And it was that way for a long time.
On Monday, March 17th, 1997, St. Patrick's Day, my mom passed away. She was talking on the phone to my brother and had a massive heart attack at 7 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 7:16 p.m. I was absolutely devastated. My mom, on the other hand, given her proclivity towards really wicked humor, was probably standing next to me (in spirit form of course) laughing like a maniac. Because, although I know we can't choose the day we die, if we could, she would have chosen St. Patrick's Day. I can hear her now "What better day to go out on?"
Anyhow, it was years before I even thought about celebrating this holiday again. It just didn't seem right without her here, ya know? But now that I have children, it just doesn't seem right to NOT celebrate it, to pass down those Irish traditions that I learned at my mother's knee. Because that's one of the ways that we connect with who we are and where we came from.
And so, this year it begins. I will teach my children the legend of the Blarney stone, the lyrics to Tura Lura Lura, and how to find a four leaf clover. And as they get older, I will tell them about a wonderful woman who found moments of joy in a treacherously difficult life and who celebrated those moments of joy with reckless abandon. A woman who taught her daughter to do the same. I think she might be proud of that.
Happy St. Patrick's Day, Mom!! And Happy Birthday Mrs. Rachel!!
(Don't forget to put your green wings on:))
Peace alllllllll..............
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4 comments:
Irish you a happy St. Patricks day...the only true "green" holiday.
Happy St.Patricks day to you dear sprinkle. I'm sendin' you love!
This was a really nice tribute to your mother and Mrs Rachel...thanks so much for sharing and when you get the words to Tura Lura Lura can you pass them my way as well!!!! LOL
Sorry to hear about your Mom and your best buddy's mother dying on St. Patty's. Yeah, that really pisses me off because it's just so stupid. I drink, sometimes a lot. But I know, and I just tell the person that either I'm crashing there or calling a cab. I crashed at the St Patty's party we had this year.
I personally don't have a drop of Irish blood (well, I think I don't - plenty of bastards in the ZS family tree), but love the holiday. I made some corned beef and cabbage, brought that over, and of course brought over some Guinness. I cook my corned beef and cabbage with 2 bottles of Guinness. It makes the stew so good.
Definitely find some four leaf clovers with your kids. I used to love just going into a big field when I was a kid and looking for them. There's really no better way to spend a nice weekend day than doing that.
I'm sure your mother would love for you to celebrate it, even despite the circumstances. Be proud of your heritage (or in your case, heritages). Lots of interesting things to learn in history.
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