Julie's Raintree

To "Grandmither"s Hoose" We Go...

...if your grandmother lives or lived in Ireland, as mine did, which is why I'm partial to St. Patrick's Day. So, being a quarter Irish, (If I calculated right!) I love the "wearin' of the green" day celebrations. When my kids were little & even into teenage years, we always celebrated by making corned beef & cabbage, which I learned later was really not an Irish dish at all, but really an Irish American variant. But we didn't care. What we did take care was that we always made sure that we wore green. No one was exempt from the proverbial pinch that accompanied the non-green wearer! & woe to that one indeed! But more woe to the pincher when it was discovered that the pinchee had indeed sported a "wearin of the green" in a more discreet place not so easily seen. Aha! Than the pincher got pinched by the pinchee twice! But the crown ( a "gold crown") of the day, was the treasure hunt to find the "crock of gold" hidden by the little people, otherwise known as leprechauns.

I couldn't always depend on a rainbow, so I just made up five sets of clues, usually in poetry form, to give to each girl, or boy, & they were on their own to find their own 'crock of gold'. I usually put chocolates wrapped in gold foil, maybe some faux jewelry, always in green of course, & some real coins too. The hunt was the fun part. Everyone likes a mystery!

Also, there would always be green milk, green water, green biscuits or pancakes for breakfast. Invariably, as much as possible of the food fare for the day was green. I have continued this tradition on with our younger kids & grandchildren. One year I went to the bank & purchased gold Sacagawea dollar coins & hid them in all kinds of places outside. A real leprechaun gold coin trail! (The kids really loved that one!)

We made sure each year we always included the story of St. Patrick & his missionary work in Ireland in the fifth century. I'm sure he did not regard himself as a saint, but his work & love for the Irish people to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior & King, was tireless, sacrificial, & very inspiring, something we as Christians should all have a heart to do.

It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the trinity, The Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit, to the people also. & as the Lord loves to show Himself in His creation, I don't doubt that he may have done it.

I have two nephews that could speak the Irish brogue fluently, & as I was pretty good "meself", we used to carry on conversations that were really quite fun & at times perplexing to those around us. ("Are they Irish, aren't they Irish.....?)

For our St. Patrick Days breakfast, we are having Irish Soda Bread

& a stout cup of "Irish Breakfast Tea".

Since it's Sunday morning & almost time for church, I don't have time to make the traditional irish breakfast of fried eggs, irish bacon rashers, sausages, white pudding, black pudding, beans, a fried tomato, & bread which can be a boxty, a farl, or regular soda bread. (You can look up farl & boxty & impress your non-irish friends. Ha!) This is a breakfast any man would love!!

For dinner, a nice Irish stew,

& this year I'm trying "Best Bailey's Cheesecake", a decadently rich, Irish dessert. (I'll let you know how it turns out!)

Someday, my husband & I hope to travel to the beautiful land of Ireland,

I think the reason I love the Black Hills of South Dakota so much is because it reminds me of Ireland & the ancestral calling is making me a bit homesick. `

I will leave you with a portion of the blessing that it is said that St. Patrick wrote. It is beautiful in it's entirety & would bless all hearts to read it.

"Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lay down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

through belief in the Threeness,

(God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, & God the Holy Spirit)

Through confession of the Oneness

of the Creator of creation."

I love rainbows & the thought of a leprechauns 'crock of gold' at the end because it's fun to imagine. My husband even drove through a rainbow once. (Sorry, no crock of gold...as of yet anyway!) & a fun movie we always watch on every March 17th is "The Luck of the Irish" with Tyrone Power.