MARCH
17 2026 Happy Saint Paddy's Day
My late brother and I are part Irish. We had a very catholic Irish gramma who was very proud of her ancestry. We have a written family genealogy going back to the 1700's, when a certain Miss Elizabeth emmigrated from England to Ireland. Our ancestors share a name that is related to a very famous poet/writer from Ireland, who is also part of our heritage. His tower still stands today and is a popular tourist destination. I've seen it. My brother is up there right now with Saint Patrick, enjoying a good corned beef and cabbage feast in heaven and I hope our writer cousin is with them.
When my brother was dying I thought about the time we went to Canada together when we were both in high school and had just gotten our driver's licenses. Our parents were divorced, Mark was living with gramma, I was living with my Mother, and Dad was in Europe working. For family vacations we had gone north on numerous occasions and so my brother suggested to gramma that he and I were able to go to Canada fishing on our own, and surprisingly they let us go. We spent two whole weeks together just my brother and I traveling, camping, fishing, canoeing and talking. We would never again spend that much time together. In fact, I never again spent more than a day with my brother at a time after that. With one exception. Many years later when his boys were young, he came and spent a couple nights visiting me in Arizona, where I was working. When he was dying I asked myself why we didn't spend more time together. But what with work, and family, and responsibilities, he and I never took the time to get together. It was my one regret when he passed away that I didn't insist we get together more often. This Saint Patrick's Day I remember the time we spent together and I'll have some corned beef in his memory. Don't die or let others die leaving regrets. You'll never get back the time you have now. Live it fully. And I'll leave us all with my favorite Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
My late brother and I are part Irish. We had a very catholic Irish gramma who was very proud of her ancestry. We have a written family genealogy going back to the 1700's, when a certain Miss Elizabeth emmigrated from England to Ireland. Our ancestors share a name that is related to a very famous poet/writer from Ireland, who is also part of our heritage. His tower still stands today and is a popular tourist destination. I've seen it. My brother is up there right now with Saint Patrick, enjoying a good corned beef and cabbage feast in heaven and I hope our writer cousin is with them.
When my brother was dying I thought about the time we went to Canada together when we were both in high school and had just gotten our driver's licenses. Our parents were divorced, Mark was living with gramma, I was living with my Mother, and Dad was in Europe working. For family vacations we had gone north on numerous occasions and so my brother suggested to gramma that he and I were able to go to Canada fishing on our own, and surprisingly they let us go. We spent two whole weeks together just my brother and I traveling, camping, fishing, canoeing and talking. We would never again spend that much time together. In fact, I never again spent more than a day with my brother at a time after that. With one exception. Many years later when his boys were young, he came and spent a couple nights visiting me in Arizona, where I was working. When he was dying I asked myself why we didn't spend more time together. But what with work, and family, and responsibilities, he and I never took the time to get together. It was my one regret when he passed away that I didn't insist we get together more often. This Saint Patrick's Day I remember the time we spent together and I'll have some corned beef in his memory. Don't die or let others die leaving regrets. You'll never get back the time you have now. Live it fully. And I'll leave us all with my favorite Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
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