Blessings

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

There is no Irish in my heritage, but that never stopped my family from celebrating today. As a kid, I was taught to respect any and every culture, and take from it what I could to appreciate life, learn, and explore the world's vast human landscapes.

As a boy, my dad's mother, my Grandma Pancake, would serve her family the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage, boiled carrots and potatoes, and Irish soda bread. When my parents were married, my dad urged my mom to continue the tradition- for his sake. This year, she'll prepare and serve the meal for the 26th time in their marriage.

So lil' dude, as a small girl with heavy Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Hungarian, and German patchwork ancestry, I give you a traditional Irish blessing on today, St. Patrick's Day ... and everyday, too.

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sunshine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.