In The Spirit...

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn.

When he was 16, he was sold into slavery to Ireland where he was a shepherd for 6 years. While in captivity he studied and turned to religion. He escaped slavery and later returned to Ireland as a missionary, determined to convert Ireland to Christianity. He used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Much Irish folklore surrounds St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated. Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.

One traditional symbol of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The holiday, March 17th, is marked by parades in cities across the United States. The largest of these, held since 1762, is in New York City, and draws more than one million spectators each year. In Ireland, it is a religious holiday similar to Christmas and Easter.
Click here for more St Patrick's Day fun from this site!

Make a request in faith having no doubt,
Without regards what Heaven is about;
For doubt is like the waves of the sea,
Troubled by driving wind as you flee.

Be not bothered as thoughts are stored,
For you will get anything from the Lord;
Even with a division within your mind,
Walk in your faith as if you were blind.

So even in a low position just be glad,
In being lifted up rather than being sad;
A wealthy man can easily be made low,
Just as the flower at the end of his show.

For the sun comes up in its burning heat,
As grass becomes dry beneath your feet;
And grace is gone from a falling flower,
Pleading for a soaking summer shower.

A wealthy man has nothing in his ways,
As he suffers and withers in a hot blaze;
A blessing to whoever undergoes a test,
When God has seen you done their best.

by Richard Newton Sherrer

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Week 110
5 days, 12 hours, 12 minutes ago

I say ... and you think ... ?

Shape up:: ship out
New Orleans:: jazz
In the bedroom:: privacy
All the time:: tired
Philosophy:: whatever
Tyler:: Mary Tyler Moore
Disturbed:: self
French kiss:: oooh!
Solidify:: fat
Furtive:: sneaky

This is our latest cat Precious with her newly born kittens as of Mar. 12th.
She is a VERY proud and protective mother, to say the least! She keeps trying to move her babies from the comfy box we provided for her nursing pleasure. Please take a look at my photo albums on my blog...enjoy!

You may have learned about Kassandra on ABC television's popular program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" where Kassandra's family benefited from a dramatic home renovation from Taylor Woodrow Homes , a national home builder.
Throughout her long battle with neuroblastoma, a deadly form of cancer, she has hand-made necklaces and bracelets. Kassandra has given special meanings to the beads used in the jewelry to represent love, courage, transformation and more. Now that her cancer is in remission, she is offering her signature pieces to others. The proceeds will benefit other children who are now fighting cancer.

WE HOPE YOU WILL HELP KASSANDRA IN HER MISSION.