Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Are you wearing green? Hope so — or somebody will pinch you. Is this just a custom in the U.S.? I just now thought that maybe some of you out there wonder what I’m talking about.
Well, everybody around here celebrates March 17 with the color green and shamrocks, but when I think of Ireland, I think of all these cool Celtic crosses. Here’s a picture:
I could spend all day looking at these crosses, but my kids are home from school — it’s a teacher workday. My kids think there’s no school because of St. Patty’s Day. Funny.
I reviewed a book a few weeks ago that was filled with Celtic crosses. It was gorgeous. If you’d like to read my review, it’s of the book, My Jesus Is … Everything! by Anne Graham Lotz. It’s here at Christian Book Previews. How fun — don’t you love the cover?
Have any of you ever been to Ireland before? Oh, that would be a dream to go. I’d LOVE to go visit some of those crosses … and tour an Irish castle and go eat in an Irish pub. Maybe stay at a bed & breakfast like this one.
We have some friends who have taken several mission trips to Ireland. I think of them when I think of these Celtic crosses. If you happen to live anywhere near Alabama and you have a college-aged student, you will HAVE to go visit University Christian Fellowship in Birmingham. Our friends started this ministry a few years ago with only a handful of students, and now he’s speaking to over 800 STUDENTS a week. Let me tell you, there is something on fire over there. I also discovered there is a UCF blog that records the weekly messages. Anyway, they love going to Ireland, and I’ve enjoyed seeing their pictures and hearing about how beautiful it is over there.
Here are a couple of my favorite Irish Blessings:
Irish Marriage Blessing
May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortunes
and rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
from this day forward.
An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
