Wearing Of The Green

Me and My Dad Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

Nobody loved St. Patrick’s Day more than my Dad!

I know that in the last post I offered to you, I wrote about my Dad’s passing but I couldn’t resist writing about him again because today is his favorite holiday.

From the moment he woke up to the moment he went to sleep, my Dad made sure that he celebrated every second of St. Patrick’s Day.

He took a lot of pride in his Irish heritage and that meant he wore as much green as he could on Paddy’s Day, he played Irish music all day and he made sure that he ate corned beef and cabbage along with homemade soda bread (no raisins).

He even had a pair of leprechaun shoes which were green and curled up in the front.  Yes he did!  Wearing those shoes were a part of St. Patrick’s Day until those silly shoes tore apart and he couldn’t wear them any longer.  And my Dad would definitely raise his spirits with a few beers or even a whiskey but that added to the fun of the event.

But he was infamous for his green bagels.  Every year he would go to a particular bakery and order a massive amount of green bagels.  Then the assembly line would begin to mail them off to family and friends: manila envelopes, one green bagel for each person, a card with an Irish blessing and then after the envelope was closed, shamrock stickers were put all over the envelope and a return address which always said “O’Malley’s Bakery.”

Of course, it didn’t matter that the green bagel was as hard as a rock by the time you received it in your mailbox.  It was one of Dad’s Paddy Day traditions and you looked forward to it.  People definitely got a kick out of receiving those bagels because some people would take the bagel and string a green ribbon through it and wear it as a necklace and some other friends told us they turned the green bagels into candlestick holders for their Paddy’s Day dinner!

He definitely had a passion for life that was infectious.

I hope the “Luck of the Irish” is with you today as you stay safe and celebrate.

Who knows?  Maybe you’ll hit the lottery today!

I definitely know one thing for sure: I am lucky to have all these great memories of my Dad to share with you!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and in honor of my Dad, here are the lyrics to one of his favorite songs, an Irish classic: Danny Boy:

DANNY BOY

Lyrics By Frederic Weatherly

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.

But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You’ll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an “Ave” there for me.

And I shall hear, tho’ soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you’ll not fail to tell me that you love me
I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

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