saint patrick's day!

dear emily,

are the kids excited about saint patrick's day?  i used
to forget and get pinched to death at school, so this
is their 'green' warning.

i recently enjoyed stephen lawhead's patrick, son of
ireland, and now i know why all of ireland loves
him so!

did you realize the holiday has been celebrated for over
1,000 years?  apparently, the irish are allowed to suspend
their lenten restrictions for that one day to feast, dance,
and drink, not necessarily in that order.

saint patrick was born to wealthy parents but kidnapped
by irish raiders when only sixteen.  sadly, he spent the
next six years tending sheep in near solitude.

because of his terrible loneliness, he derived solace from
his faith and became a devout Christian.  it is believed
that he had at least two divine revelations: the first to
leave for britain and the second to then return to ireland
as a missionary.

it's interesting that upon his homecoming, he didn't try
to remove irish mysticism, but instead he assimilated
Christian life into their traditions.  he had bonfires at
easter and added the symbol of the sun to the cross,
making the celtic cross that we all know.

class dismissed!

love,
lea

". . . i have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means i might save some."  1 corinthians 9:22b