As a part-time girl Friday, I had to finish my errands before rushing to my classes at the Chicago Art Institute. I took my job seriously because it earned me some money to augment my meager allowance.
“Hey, Grace, come! This won’t take a few minutes!” my big, burly boss called. When he as much as whimpered, I moved. He and the rest of the staff were looking down from our 17th floor window.
“Aaahhh!” Ooohhh!”
The Chicago river turned green! I pinched myself, trying to wake me up from fantasy land. But the green river was real! It was March 17 (never mind the year), St. Patrick’s Day. On this day, everything turned green—not with envy, but with a celebration only the Irish can pull off.
St. Patrick’s Day originally started as a Christian feast day celebrating the life of this important man for spreading Christianity in Ireland in the late 5th century. But the day has mutated into a time of revelry and a celebration of all things Irish. Many people wear green, wear lucky charms like the four-leaf clover, and drink green beer.
Why green? In 1798, the year of the Irish Rebellion, this color became officially associated with the day when they sang the song “The Wearing of the Green,” tying the color’s relevance to Irish history.
I remember that Chicago green day today and thank the Lord for those grace experiences that livened up my busy, struggling student days.
Let me leave you, my cyber friends, with my favorite Irish blessing as we yelp, TGIF!
May the road rise to meet you,May the wind be always at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your face,The rains fall soft upon your fields.And until we meet again,May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment