Heading into Spring ( I hope )

St Patrick's Day

As I turned the corner onto Sullivan street , running down the little hill to my grandma Skelton’s home I could already hear the singing of old Irish songs . as you entered there were no green hats , scarf’s or shirts . just the Spiegel patterned clothes they all stitched together themselves. welcomed was how everyone was made to feel as you walked into the kitchen greeted with handshakes, smiles and a glass of draft , for today , like everyday here was a celebration of Ireland.

There was my grandma , always the first one I ran too . her sisters and cousins visiting from who knows where , it seems like they were always there. the men were mostly in another room or outside depending on the time of year. should they enter for refreshments or to talk it was always from the outside of the table .this was grandma’s domain and no man dare cross that line. The only ones allow that honor outside the ladies was the children.

While I didn’t understand the why of this daily social gathering at the time I did know I loved it so. by the end of each day after spending time with each lady I had heard new tales , learned the words to another song and tripped over my other left foot trying a dance step one of them would show me. these are the real golden years , the years that are to shape the rest of your life.

I was 10 when my grandmother passed away and it didn’t take long to realize what she was to the family. After that it seems like most everyone drifted in different directions , moved on or disappeared altogether. the sounds of the stories , songs and laughter faded away into the winter wind.

after all these years I understand now that it was more then all that , it was the stitching of family to one’s heart so that we can carrying on the memories to where ever life takes us , to share and pass onto the next generation so that none of us will ever forget where we come from. So this Saint Patrick’s day , as usual I will spend a quiet evening listening to Celtic tide and thinking about our time together and the things she taught me , ending this post with the same thing I said to her at the end of each night.


              “I love you Grandma “