What the ever-loving?  Just minding my own business over here in the season of Lent… then it occurs to me:  What is St. Patrick’s day and why, if it involves a Saint, is there booze involved.  Seems so weird that we would be in the midst of the holy season~ all the while there are parties, parades and shamrock shots everywhere.

So, being the scholar that I am (not), I turn to Google.   Turns out, Saint Patrick’s Day commemorates him by name AND the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  Woohoo!  We have a holiday celebrating Christianity with green attire and green beer.  I am cracking up and intrigued here.  While I am not Catholic (I am baptized in the Baptist church, attended the Methodist church, went to college at a Baptist University~sic ’em bears~married a Presbyterian and baptized two kids in that church, tried out the Episcopal church ’cause they had a band, and finally~ currently~ attending a non-denom church with the best band in the land), I am always intrigued by the traditions within that church.  If having Catholic friends got me “in,” I’d be on the front row.

Anyway, I digress… another fun fact about St. Patrick’s Day (maybe considered the most fun for some) is that many attend church AND the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted  for the day.  This has encouraged the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption…Well, well, well…

I told y’all… and Miranda Lambert did, too… “that I heard Jesus drank wine and I’d bet we’d get along just fine”…

While the image above is not a shamrock, it mimics the idea… and, perhaps no coincidence that, if lying just right, it falls into the shape of a cross.  It has been written that the Saint used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.  Just sayin’…

Custom for the day is the “drowning of the shamrock,” wildly popular in Ireland.  This is a toast to the Saint where the shamrock is placed in the bottom of a cup smothered by whiskey, beer or cider.  Then, a cheers to the Saint ending in the swallowing of the shamrock (WTF? … remember, that stands for “Why thy Father??) or it is taken out and thrown over the shoulder for luck.

Which brings me to “luck.”  I am “lucky” to be born.  I am “lucky” to have been raised by my grandparents.  I am “lucky” to have my beautiful children and husband.  I am just downright “lucky.”

Lucky, by definition, is synonymous with “blessed.”  Look it up, it’s right there in print next to “having, bringing, or resulting from good luck.”  Also synonymous, is “born under a lucky star.”  Hmmmm, sounds like a very familiar bible story to me.  Again, not a coincidence.

So, peeps, let’s go about this holy holiday of church and cheers… and feel “lucky” for all of the blessings we have.

#holykitt#spotthecross#stpatricksday#mirandalambert#blogginforChrist#shamrock#wtf