When everything is Irish

The grass is getting greener, the wheat is wonderful. Flowers are beginning and somehow we get the idea that yesterday was that cherished day, March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

I had always been proud of the fact that both Lester's and my families were Irish (with a little Scotch thrown in there also). I spent hours finding enough green clothing to wear on that day -- or ouch. Even though my parents were quite open about their Irish heritage they did not go around wearing shamrocks on their clothing, or spend time hunting for clovers.

They knew that their Irish background included the Irish famine and the immigration to the U.S. to feed the children. It wasn't fun and games to them as they worked their way from menial jobs in the East to finally having a farm, a business and family that was proud of them. By the way, today is his birthday but his younger brother was named Pat!

I remember hearing derogatory remarks such as "Lace curtain Irish" or watch your liquor cabinet if you have an Irish man handy.

Who would have ever thought that the term Irish meant no more than that one of our recent presidents was Irish and was elected in spite of it.

Prejudices come and go. We got the Irish part of our feelings handled and then have to deal with the fact that Kennedy was also Catholic.

Now. Think back to our recent visit from the Pope. We were all excited to have such an important person visiting us and laughed with delight when he kissed a baby or had to fight the wind to stand erect in our windy weather.

Do you think there will ever be a day when we are just as excited to have another religious personage visit us -- a person that our parents or grandparents had perhaps looked down upon?

You may have noticed that we are in the midst of an election? How much hate has been thrown around this year? Some of those same words might be used in speeches of honor in 20 or 30 years from now when we have calmed down a bit and decided that maybe everything new isn't evil.

What better example do we need than to see our second term president who is African-American? How many people are proud of a little or a lot of American Indian blood in their veins?

We're so mixed in our backgrounds that we should all be proud of something -- maybe not Irish, maybe, hillbilly, maybe Missourian, or even Vernon Countian. Every place and every heritage can bring us more knowledge than we had before.

I still wore green yesterday, but I would have been just as proud to wear another symbol if my parents and grandparents were products of that background.