Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today is one of my favorite days. I'm mostly Irish and I'm pretty sure that my Irish roots go a long ways back. I like to think that one of my earliest ancestors knew St. Patrick and came to the LORD through his ministry. When I'm listening to Celtic music, I want to jump up and start step dancing, but the feet just don't quite remember how to! Sometimes I can close my eyes and see a place I've never been to, almost like there's a genetic memory there.
Mostly today I think about the long line of feisty Irish women I've come from and three in particular-my mom, my grandma and my great grandma. I have a stoll I wear on occasion for ministry and I had a shamrock and a butterfly embroidered on it in their memory. They passed on to me a strong legacy of faith and a love for the LORD that I am truly thankful for.
And when I hear "When Irish Eyes are Smiling", I think about my mom's big blue eyes and how happy she was, and her laughter. She was much like her dad, my grandpa, who I often wondered was maybe part leprauchaun. or one of the wee people anyway. I think about the twinkle in my grandfather's eyes-was that a Dutch twinkle or an Irish twinkle? Probably a little of both. And I think about how thankful I am for my family, for my ancestors, for my Irish roots, and especially for a legacy of faith that has been passed down through the centuries and even maybe millenia.
If indeed one of St. Patrick's converts was an early ancestor, I think that he would be pleased to know that faith has had a very long lasting legacy. So whether or not you are Irish, think today past all the silliness and such, say a prayer a thankfulness for your family and where you come from, and say a prayer of thankfulness for the legacy of faith that has been passed on to you.
Slainte!
