Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dates have always held an almost magical quality about them for me.

St. Patrick's Day is one of those days.

In my hometown area of Kansas City there is a huge St. Patrick's Day Parade. Always lots of fun to witness and partake in. I'm not particularly Irish, perhaps a bit from my mom's mom...that red hair came from somewhere!

But beyond that...

In the early 1980s my father's mother had a stroke and it paralyzed her on one side and she could not speak. We drove for many hours to get to her in Mountain View Arkansas and there she was lying in that hospital bed and I could see the panic in her eyes from not being able to communicate with us with words.

At one point I was alone with her in the room. Her eyes wide looking at me, pleading with me. So I just started talking. I asked her is she knew the date and her eyes grew wider and I knew she didn't know the day or date. So I told her, it's St. Patrick's Day and you aren't wearing any green and neither am I! As I continued to talk with her, I didn't realize her hand was inching towards me and then she pinched the back of my hand! It was a stunning moment for us both. It hurt! And she looked hurt and confused that I yelled, "Ouch!" and stood up away from her. Then I knew and I knew she knew I knew. She pinched me because I wasn't wearing any green! You see in our corner of the world if it's St. Patrick's Day and you aren't wearing Green, others can pinch you and get away with it!

I said to her, you pinched me because it's St. Patrick's Day and I'm not wearing green????? And her mouth opened to laugh but no sound came out and the life came into her eyes. She didn't need the words to communicate.

So, as a teenager I taught myself some sign language and I showed her "I love you" in American Sign Language. And she did it with the hand that she could move. And I said, that's right. For deaf people and people who can't talk, sign language is a way to communicate and that sign is "I LOVE YOU". She put her hand up that way and her eyes just sparkled.

A little later, I was outside and my Aunt came out and said, she's gone crazy. So I went inside and there was my grandmother with her hand up giving everyone in the room the sign for "I LOVE YOU". So I signed it back to her and I told everyone, that's sign language for I LOVE YOU! My dad says but where did she learn that??? And I said, I told her earlier and she pinched me because I'm not wearing green and it's St. Patrick's Day! And before I could even finish my Aunt was saying "OUCH" because grandma had reached out and pinched her as well!

It opened my eyes to communication.

There have been so many special events on St. Patrick's Day. I find it interesting!

4 years ago on march 17, 2004 I met my husband face to face at the Montreal, Quebec, Canada airport. We have been together since then and on the eve of that event, my heart sings.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!