What is behind our St. Patrick's day celebration? This is believed to ber the anniversary if the death of Saint Patrick.
So why do we celebrate St Patrick’s death? Who was he and why is he honored still? He left us in the fifth century, and has become an iconic leprechaun in my mind. What's behind one of the biggest commemorative parties going?
Here’s some interesting findings: THE SAINT: "St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling." Saint Patrick is credited with bringing the written word to Ireland. From Great Britain, his pilgrimage to Ireland spanned thirty years. He brought Christianity to Ireland, displacing the Pagan Druids
THE PARADE The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world 's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants.
THE CORNED BEEF Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. In 2007, roughly 41.5 billion pounds of U.S. beef and 2.6 billion pounds of U.S. cabbage were sold. Many St. Patrick's Day celebrants enjoyed corned beef from Texas, which produced 6.8 billion pounds of beef, and cabbage from California and New York, which produced 581 and 580 million pounds, respectively.
IRISH AMERICANS There are 36.5 million U.S. residents with Irish roots. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (more than four million).
So if you, like I, have Irish ancestry...and even if you don't, utter a quiet moment's tribute to the man who changed Irish Civilization, and is honored today!
Because I am a word chiseler, I love to find words I have never encountered before - especially when they are funny.Googling "Words that begin with W" revealed a wealth of just that: funny sounding words that I had never heard, so I am departing from my usual format of choosing one word, and selecting my favorite six for your enjoyment.
WOUBET a small and shabby person
"Once a stately presence, her senior years were spent as a woubet."
WAFTAGE transportation through water or air.
A day trip to Honolulu requires waftage
WANCHANCY - unlucky
I actually know a wanchancy bride who was struck by lightning during her barefoot, beach wedding ceremony!
WOMUS - cardigan or jacket buttoned at the neck and wrists
Grab a womus and lets go outside - be sure you are buttoned!
WERGILD - fine paid by the family of a murderer to the family of a victim. Teach your children well, or there will be wergild to pay!
WHIPCAT - tailor
All those years of working as a whipcat, and thinking I was a stitch bitch! LET IT BE FUN!
I would get nervous when I was pouring his cup… he wanted it clear to the brim…and I was not always certain about my pouring accuracy. I was a kid – I lacked the experience I now enjoy. I knew that pouring the coffee was something that I should do. It was one of my household duties. He was exacting about it. He was never scalded, as I feared would happen, but he was frequently…consterned…. Impatient with my tentative approach to this potentially disastrous ( for HIM For his… LAP! ) task.
I was adding boiling water to a teaspoon of instant coffee mix, in a worn, pink MelMac cup mind you. They later designed the ski jumping courses using the same shape as these cups. It you failed to add the boiling water at the correct angle, it zoomed over the edge of the cup. He was particular, not even aware of what a really fine cup of brew can taste like, and totally oblivious to the peril his LAP was facing.
It was during one of these moments of consternation that I first learned to read his upper lip. particularly as it pertained to his level of irritation with all of my inadequacies. Now this was long before I really new that as we age, two things are certain: Our noses and ears continue to increase in size, and our upper lip loses its bulk. These “givens” had not showed up in my experience yet.
So I became fearful of his thinning lip. A function of time came to be an icon of my shortcomings. Kids do this kind of thing all the time. Some of them are even still writing about it when they are sixty.
A couple of years back, I noticed that whenever I look into a mirror, a much older woman slips in front of me and obstructs my view of myself – forcing me to brush HER teeth and apply lipstick to HER mouth. Her upper lip is really very thin. She must be very irritated. Did I do something? Or not do something? If I were a better girl, she would not be showing me this sign of irritation. When will I ever be able to please her?
Many thanks to my concerned BraveHeart friends who contacted me this weekend!
On Saturday, shortly after getting up, I heard the familiar sound of the Civil Defense Alarm system. It is familiar because it is tested the first day of each month, making it's unmistakable call at noon on that day.
My first reaction was " Is this the first?" Then I remembered the news of the earthquake that rocked Chile the previous night. I had experienced a Tsunami warning once before - in 94 while I was a visitor to Hawaii - so the pieces came together in my sleepy brain very quickly. I tuned into the TV coverage to get the details.
Tsunamis are so very dangerous because they are very much more than a big wave. They are a tidal wall, extending hundreds of miles, with the potential of incredible damage. It is very difficult to predict their size while they are out at sea. Landfall is needed to calibrate their height and intensity. We all remember the Christmas Day Tsunami in Thailand, and the stories of what happened there. Knowing we were in the path of this force of nature put the Hawaiian Island authorities on High Alert.
I was extremely impressed by how it was handled. I have strong confidence in our disaster readiness, and this event has made it even stronger. The state authorities conducted a calm and efficient evacuation of the areas at risk, and did a magnificent job of keeping us informed.
My local community - and all Hawaii, displayed that essence which is the Aloha spirit. Stores opened hours early so we all could stock up of water and food and generators and toilet paper, and ...yes... spam and rice! Everyone calmly took care of business and complied with the request to stay away from the beaches. The line at my local gas station was longer than I had ever seen it. People waited patiently, and respected the needs of others. They took to heart the requests to buy what they thought their family required for 7days leave ample for their neighbors.
People pulled together. It was an amazing energy to participate in.
As it played out, we got a very dramatic display of the force of nature. The Whales that characteristically frolic in these waters at this time, wanted no part of this wave, and headed far out with great speed.
The cameras on Hilo Bay showed us the impact of the Tsunami "inhale" and "exhale" as vast expanses of reef were exposed,and then, momentarily covered. The color of the water showed us how rapidly the depth was changing, It was quite a show, and it had the potential of becoming a real time view of very extensive damage as everything below sea level flooded while the water took it's course. I was positioned at an altitude of 3000 feet, so I was high and dry. I was also in the middle of the Pacific ocean, and the power company, the docks, the phone service, and lots of everyday requirement for existence here were at serious risk. To say I experienced a renewed respect for the power of nature is an understatement!
Happily, the "bullet was dodged" (media lingo) and we did not get hit by a wall of water. We did learn allot about each other on Saturday. I am extremely grateful to be part of this community, where Aloha prevails, and acting with the good of all in mind is truly second nature.
Because I Am A Word Chiseler – and a BraveHeart - V
With this post, I am resuming a series that you have not seen in some months. I love words and the energies they carry – the special magic they can hold… the way they color our existence. Previously, I have done a post with my word of choice for each letter of the alphabet.
Today the letter is “ V “
The “V “ Word I am honoring is VICTORY.
vic•to•ry Spelled[vik-tuh-ree, vik-tree]
–noun, 1. a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war. 2.an engagement ending in such triumph: American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost. 3.the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest: The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis. 4.a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc.: a moral victory. 5.(initial capital letter ) the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, often represented in statues or on coins as the personification of victory.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME victorie < L victōria, equiv. to victōr-, s. of victor victor + -ia -y3
—Related forms vic•to•ry•less, adjective non•vic•to•ry, noun,plural-ries. su•per•vic•to•ry, noun,plural-ries.
—Synonyms 3. Victory, conquest, triumph refer to a successful outcome of a struggle. Victory suggests the decisive defeat of an opponent in a contest of any kind: victory in battle; a football victory. Conquest implies the taking over of control by the victor, and the obedience of the conquered: a war of conquest; the conquest of Peru. Triumph implies a particularly outstanding victory: the triumph of a righteous cause; the triumph of justice.
In the last months, I feel I have achieved a victory over the most formidable foe I have faced in a while. The feeling is glorious, and has renewed my belief that absolutely anything is possible when you believe in yourself, and listen to your own personal guidance, with reverence and commitment.
I welcome you to introduce a “V” word that hold significant meaning in your life!
I don't' know about all of you, b'and I do know that for many of us, 2009 has been an experience of enormous growth...
And Yes, I am here to say that the Let It Be Fun girl has had massive challenges in finding the fun part of much of this segment of my journey.
I am able to see the element for which I can hold gratitude.
*BREATH*
I share the feeling of those who believe 2010 is a time of new beginning. I am excited by what lies ahead. These are times that dig out the ingenuity in all of us. We discover talents not yet developed, and skills seldom used.
One of my HUGEST gifts of insight has been :
"I do not have to do it all. I can work in a team" -
..for this Lone Ranger, that's a revelation.
I would enjoy hearing your thoughts and insights and revelations about our progress through these very unprecedented times.
Are you finding the gifts in the challenges? I would love to hearwhats happening to you.
Are you excited by the possibilities before us? I am. A lot the of 2010 is going to be fun - having fun doing hard work - and using our ingenuity and teamwork skills to make this our best year ever.. Go BraveHearts!
I was just looking back at the photos I had posted here from RISE
I really enjoy being brought back to the times that BraveHearts gathered, and I had a chance to experience my BraveHeart friends in every dimension. I encourage your to attend BraveHeart gatherings. I feel you will be glad you did!
The photo on the front of the album, with Ellie and Kent, and Charlie - it tells such an exciting and happy story... Amy! - Becky! Emma! BELL! Leslie, Maria, Debra! Claudia! and all the many others -
It's fun to go through your images, and hear your laughter in my head.
I am reminded of Dr. Maya Angelou's quote: "You will never forget they way they made you feel"
As I view this sideshow, a waterfall of warmth comes back, and I am filled with gratitude for the feelings I have surrounding BraveHeart.
Thank You All.
Linda
pictured: Linda Carol Berry, Amy Huentleman, Maria Smalley, Leslie Morgan
I have talked before on this blog about my success in changing my health and my body contour and weight.
Beginning at Christmas Time, 2007, I embarked upon a goal of attaining a fit, trim, healthier body. I was 58 and obese. The only direction for me to go was up!.
We are approaching Christmas of 2009, and I can say I have accomplished my goal I have attained and maintained my goal weight for several months – I really did it....
Something unprecedented in my experience…
Something I had Dreamed about a very long time
Something I had utterly lost the belief I could do
Yesterday was my 60th birthday. I walked my 2000 th mile for 2009.
I spent the day working on my friends’ farm. While we were having lunch, he said to me: “I want to recognize you and congratulate you for actually changing your body weight in the way that you have. YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON I HAVE EVER KNOWN WHO DID THAT”
I can not even describe what it was like to hear that.
I know there are millions of people who want to do what I have done, and I am an example of success for them….
Dec 5, 2009, - the passing of a Great Man. . "Start from wherever you are and with whatever you've got." Jim Rohn
I saw Jim Rohn live for the first time in January 2005. Ellie Drake is responsible for my being there... Thank you Ellie.
He changed my life...my very way of looking at things. I am one of the millions he has impacted profoundly. I encourage you to take a few moments and read this tribute and watch this video...
HIV is something that many Americans have come to think of as "under control".
The fact is that HIV is still a devastating reality for millions.
Today Is WORLD AIDS DAY.
..........................
There are many ways we can help.
Sponsoring a child orphaned by HIV is one
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It will serve you SCRABBLE game! 
