Wearing of the Green

A St. Patrick's Day blessing upon everyone: Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Yesterday, of course, was St. Patrick's day. Many people from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England immigrated to the United States over the centuries. Also, many Catholics, who celebrate St. Patrick's Day, came to America; and, I went to Catholic Schools through the 12th grade.

The street where we now live in Red Bluff, California, is "Kilkenny Lane," and the late Irishman, Jack Murphy, and his two sons, Mike and Mark and their families, are our neighbors.

My wife, Karen, was born on St. Patrick's Day, as was her sister Ginger, and their father, Delmer, always like to think of himself as an Protestant Irishman.

My daughter, Alicia, married a good Irishman, Sean Flinn.

Therefore, the "Irish" influence is significant in my past and present background.

Annetta, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, sent me an delightful email today. She told me about her background in the landscaping business and about some recent gardening experiences. She also included a bit of Irish lore and wisdom:

"Mike, I so enjoy your website. It has been a welcome sight during this long winter.

I live in Albuquerque and we have been having weird weather since last summer. We had excessive rains in the summer and lots of snow this winter. I have not had to do any watering most of the winter. Usually we have to water at least twice monthly during the heart of winter.

The snow wreaked havoc on many of the trees in our neighborhood. I went around and got snow off branches throughout the brunt of the storm to save branches. I am glad. I didn't have too many losses or the neighbors around me for that matter.

My daffodils are up and the tulips are growing nicely. They are running a little late but I am sure they enjoyed the extra coldness of this winter.

I had been cautious not to peek yet under the various mulches at some of my plants such as Jupiter' Beard or my peonies. But I had to look because we have been having incredible high 70s and the temperature hit 80 degrees this past week. They are a comin'.

It is St. Patrick's Day and I plant a few shamrocks each year in its honor.

The Shamrock: in fact, the first written mention of this story did not appear until nearly a thousand years after Patrick's death. The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

St. Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans of Ireland.

A St. Patrick's Day blessing upon you: Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

"May you never forget what is worth remembering,
Or remember what is best forgotten.
May you have the hindsight to know where you've been,
The insight to know where you are,
and the foresight to know when you've gone too far.
May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
May you never make an enemy
When you could make a friend
Unless you meet a fox among your chickens.
May your fire be as warm as the weather is cold."

Mike, Thank you again for your wonderful resource."
- Annetta, 3/18/07

Thanks to you, Annetta, for sharing your thoughts. Thanks to all the kind people who write to me each week. May this Springtime bring you all much delight. Peace, Prosperity and many Blessings to all!

And for all the internal martial artists and qigong players around the world, who delight in practicing outdoors this spring (north) or autumn (south) day, may your practice be a delight to you. Cheers!!