Since St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow I thought it was a good time to share the story of how Vivian and I managed to make St. Patrick's Day quite uncomfortable for several people.
It all started innocently enough, as most of our adventures did. On one of our walks Vivian asked me how I was going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. She knew of my Irish heritage and thought that the day would be a special one for me. I explained that I no longer celebrated the day or the Saint because the 'snakes' that St. Patrick drove out of Ireland were actually the Snake People (Druids). So many atrocities were committed in his name that I just couldn't think kindly of him or the day that celebrated him.
Vivian was appalled to learn of this Truth and vowed that she would no longer celebrate the day the way she used to and would, in fact, wear snake jewelry on that day to honour the Druids. She also said that more people had to know the real story and we should tell everyone we encountered. I told her I would only share the story if necessary. I didn't want to force the Truth on anyone.
So, we agreed that on that day we would smile when people said Happy St. Patrick's Day and silently Bless the Druids every time it happened.
So, I was quite surprised when, at Tim Horton's, Vivian retorted to the cashier after being wished a Happy St. Patrick's Day, "This is no day to celebrate." And pointing to me, said, "She'll tell you why."
The next few minutes were quite uncomfortable as I gave the cashier the Cliff Notes version of what I knew. It felt like every ear in the very busy place was straining to hear what was being said.
As we sat down I knew I couldn't mention our past agreement because I understood Vivian was speaking from a place of Love and Honour. To her, it was our responsibility to share what we knew. In fact, I have the snake pin she wore on that day in a special place.
And the memory of how Vivian and I ruined St. Patrick's Day is a treasured one.
It all started innocently enough, as most of our adventures did. On one of our walks Vivian asked me how I was going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. She knew of my Irish heritage and thought that the day would be a special one for me. I explained that I no longer celebrated the day or the Saint because the 'snakes' that St. Patrick drove out of Ireland were actually the Snake People (Druids). So many atrocities were committed in his name that I just couldn't think kindly of him or the day that celebrated him.
Vivian was appalled to learn of this Truth and vowed that she would no longer celebrate the day the way she used to and would, in fact, wear snake jewelry on that day to honour the Druids. She also said that more people had to know the real story and we should tell everyone we encountered. I told her I would only share the story if necessary. I didn't want to force the Truth on anyone.
So, we agreed that on that day we would smile when people said Happy St. Patrick's Day and silently Bless the Druids every time it happened.
So, I was quite surprised when, at Tim Horton's, Vivian retorted to the cashier after being wished a Happy St. Patrick's Day, "This is no day to celebrate." And pointing to me, said, "She'll tell you why."
The next few minutes were quite uncomfortable as I gave the cashier the Cliff Notes version of what I knew. It felt like every ear in the very busy place was straining to hear what was being said.
As we sat down I knew I couldn't mention our past agreement because I understood Vivian was speaking from a place of Love and Honour. To her, it was our responsibility to share what we knew. In fact, I have the snake pin she wore on that day in a special place.
And the memory of how Vivian and I ruined St. Patrick's Day is a treasured one.
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