In elementary school, it was mandatory to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day; otherwise, other students would pinch me all day. What seems weird to me is I never knew why we pinched each other on this day. Maybe I asked, but I no longer remember; so in honor of St. Patty’s Day, I did a little research.
First, I found on Irishcentral.com, “… wearing green on St. Patrick’s day is supposed to make you invisible to leprechauns. They will pinch you as soon as you come under their radar if you aren’t wearing green.” Next, even though it seems like everyone in the U.S. is Irish on March 17, that’s not quite true. Actually, it’s not even close because the U.S. census claims only “9.5 percent of people here can claim Irish Ancestry,” and I happen to be one of them. Finally, why do we always hear about the luck of the Irish? Is it real? At Notre Dame on any given fall weekend, the football team either has it or it doesn’t even though it has a leprechaun mascot jigging about the field. But the meaning stems from the 1800s when Irish miners were more successful than the other miners, and some accredited this to luck (FoxNews.com). Although this is one explanation, people also believe the Irish are lucky because of their relationships to leprechauns and four leaf clovers.
They may have luck, but even with my two percent of Irish DNA, I have never felt lucky. I have always told people I am just unlucky because I never win things, and weird, unexpected things happen to me that don’t happen to others. I wondered if others feel lucky so I asked Lori, the Executive Director of CORE, if she felt luck played a part in CORE’s success and if she believes she is a lucky person.
Lori said, “We [CORE] were ‘lucky’ that we found business leaders in the community who also wanted to help individuals with disabilities.” She also answered, “I do feel I am a very “lucky” person, but I tell most people I feel graced by God. For whatever reason, He always seems to have my back.”
After hearing Lori’s response, I changed my mind about luck because I too have certainly been blessed with a great life even though some bad things have happened, and I have not won the lottery…yet. ???? I also think we, at CORE, feel lucky to have the support of our community and the trust of our families and individuals with disabilities whom we work with each day. And actually, it may be a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work which brings us all together.
On this St. Patrick’s Day, we would like to leave you with this old Irish blessing:
May good luck be with you wherever you go, and your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow. May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all of God’s blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you. May your heart be strong. May you find what you’re seeking wherever you roam (www.rd.com).
