Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yes, today is St. Patrick's Day. We like to celebrate the day in our house for several reasons.
1. We have a bit o' Irish heritage.
2. We have a son named Patrick.
3. It is the perfect time to discuss the characteristic of God being One yet three persons.

As to #1, my maternal grandfather, Earl Patrick, was Irish. That brings us to #2. A bit of family trivia - my grandpa's middle name was Patrick (and everyone called him Pat). My mother's name is Patricia. MY name is Patricia (although everyone calls me Trish). We decided to name our firstborn son Patrick because we like the name and wanted to carry on the tradition. Now, the tricky thing on St. Patrick's Day is explaining to my son that although he is named Patrick, he "ain't no saint."

Now, if I am going to discuss #3, I have to share with you one of my big pet peeves lately. The significance of the shamrock/clover on St. Patrick's day comes from the fact that the original Patrick, who was a missionary in Ireland, used it the help explain the Holy Trinity - the fact that although there is one God, he is three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is NOT because the leprechauns like to dance amongst the clover and finding the four-leaf variety is lucky. So it really bugs me when I see St. Patrick's day decor with the four-leaf clovers. [sigh] I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when the holiday has become merely a time for celebrating the leprechauns and drinking green beer to excess.

Now, it wouldn't be right to talk about St. Patrick's day without sharing this video. This is a short from the VeggieTales video, "Sumo of the Opera." It is a "flannel board" story to teach the history of the man and the holiday. We think it is adorable and funny so therefore, it is tradition to watch this every year.



Another tradition that I have been trying to do is to have Corned Beef and Cabbage. Growing up we never did this. It think it has something to do with the fact that my mom bought a really nice corned beef to cook one year and the spices were so strong and repugnant that it stunk up the whole house. So, she never made another. Now, me, I buy the cheapest corned beef that I can find and our family loves it. We may try to make some Irish Soda bread this year to go with it.

Whatever you do to celebrate this day (even if it is just watching the above video), make it a great one!