An Excuse To Be Irish?

Today is one of the few days each year that half of me looks forward to with glee and the other half dreads.



We are starting to see the hints of spring and with the celebration of a great man now known as St. Patrick there is an abundance of green to cheer one up (along with a full growler of stout) yet I find myself struggling to celebrate the day without letting my mood turn to sadness when my thoughts become overrun with memories of my father.
Today would have been my Fathers 65th birthday. It seems like just yesterday I was saying my goodbye's yet the fact is that it was over 15 years ago now.
As I type this I find myself struggling with he fact that I allow my emotions to rule me at times - they say that it gets better with time but I have yet to find that saying true.
While sitting on my father's head stone today I was reflecting on all the happy moments and wondered what the dashing young man from my memories would look like now if he were still alive (my luck he would still have more hair on his head than I do!) and wondered what would our relationship be like now that I am an "adult" with a family of my own.
As I sat there under the blue sky watching the robins search in vain for the first worms of the spring I became thankful that I have a reason to celebrate. While my wife might have some Irish heritage - the closest I come is English but thanks to my father's date of birth I too can be Irish for at least one day a year! I began to feel my mood change more to cheer and on the spring breeze there was a hint of corned beef and cabbage and despite the lack of a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end I knew I was the luckiest man alive.
I was alive and had my own little leprechauns waiting for me at home - as well as a wife who also shares my love for corned beef with potatoes, carrots and some nice green cabbage. Thank goodness for St. Patrick's day!

My Dad's favorite song played on my favorite instrument.



Happy Birthday Dad
Stephen Patrick Wearne SR
3/17/43 - 2/14/93
Gone but not Forgotten