Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today is St. Patrick's Day and I must admit that when I was young, I dreaded March 17th.

You see, my mother was a firm believer that only Catholics wore green on St. Patrick's Day. Protestants wore orange. So all throughout my elementary years, she insisted that neither my sister nor I would wear anything green because we weren't Catholic.

I'm certain she scarred us for life because of this. :)

But the Irish heritage is something I'm proud to claim.

My paternal grandmother was 100% Irish and I remember the stories she'd tell me about how her uncle, an Irish immigrant himself, was instrumental in sponsoring fellow Irishmen in the Toledo area. He was in the dockworkers union and he was able to have jobs waiting for many of his countrymen, allowing them to more easily gain entry into the country. This was around the time of Toledo Mayor Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones, who was a good friend of this uncle. My father still has correspondence from him - a nice little family treasure.

On my husband's side, the family tree has been traced back quite a ways - including a significant amount of time in Ireland prior to coming to the U.S. And despite the fact that my mother-in-law is half Polish, half German, she makes some of the best corned beef and cabbage I've ever eaten.

Of course, lineage has little to do with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. As the saying goes, 'today, everyone is Irish.'

So whether it's in your blood, literally or figuratively, I hope you enjoy St. Patrick's Day!