Today’s St. Patrick’s Day and true to form I went to work sporting green trousers, a green sweater and a white bow-tie with shamrocks on it. My Mom is as Irish as McGinty’s goat and she raised us to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. I often reflect on my heritage and a good part of it came from the Emerald Isle to America. Mom’s family, comprised of Hand’s and Crowley’s came from southern Ireland. Irish and Catholic to the bone. One of my great-aunts thought that Christ himself was Irish. She was shocked to learn that he was actually Jewish. One of the ancestors is on his way to sainthood. One of the great aunts worked for the Queen of England. Mom told me we’re related to Mary Queen of Scots. These are just some of the stories I got from Mom and Grandma. Continue reading “St. Patrick’s Day”
Roots
Last night at dinner our daughter was describing a class she is taking. I don’t know the title, but the content deals with Frederick Douglass and slavery in America. She really loves her teacher who is a Ph.D candidate and very animated about this subject. Her homework this weekend involves slave chronicles. The conversation was interesting and stirred again within me the memories of one the best books I ever read. Continue reading “Roots”