Friday, March 24, 2006

Lost

Right when she thought she was lost, she discovered the beauty of this place. "I was glad that I was lost cause now I know where the Krohn Conservatory is. And O my goodness, how Reading Road is so beautiful," Celia is always that cute to me. With her pure heart, every comment sounds refreshing in my ears. Right when I thought of leaving this place, my weariness of how slow the progress is in this town.

I knew the beauty of this old, run down town all along because I used to a long drive to go nowhere. The beauty of not being "balance" (whatever that means) and that we have to be part of the system to be in balance. Going nowhere is and always be an adventure to discover things, new thing, that this old run down town could offer. And that means driving through the neighborhoods, the parks, two way streets, dead ends, cul-de-sacs, and et cetera, all without the highways. I am not saying that having a destination is not good. I am saying that a journey to the destination is what really counts.

In my life, getting lost turned out to be the most precious things I've experienced. It had brought me back to the most divine moment where the only one you could cried to was God. It brought me to the moment where I found Him waiting for me all along in that pit. Waiting for me to ask for help, not to tell me "I told you so", but to just embrace me in His presences. And getting lost in Him is what I treasured the most in my moments of life. I thank God everyday for it. I couldn't asked for more.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

St.Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is secularly known as Green Day or Irish Day. It is originally a religious catholic day as a remembrances of St. Patrick, the second saints of Ireland. St.Patrick was a pagan that became closer to God after experiencing slavery for six years. What a good point to make that sometimes we finally listens to God when we hit the rock bottom. Something to rejoyce about. He went to a monastery under the St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre in Ireland. Although he spent most of the missionary activities in Ireland, he was not originally from Ireland. He was born in Scotland in AD 385.

St. Patrick was almost a legend for the Irish. Some stories related to him are the snakes, Leprechaun the Celtic fairy, three-leaves shamrock, and the Brigit the goddess of healing and farming. It might be related as a celebration of the return of Spring and the beginning of farming season. His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461, and the day was celebrated as St.Patrick's Day ever since.

Those are the original stories from Ireland. The celebration came to America in 1737 by the first celebration in Boston. In Chicago,1962, people started to celebrate by adding 100 pounds of vegetable dye to the river, to keep it green for a week.

St. Patrick’s day celebration includes parades,festivals, beer and food!!! Among them are stew lamb, guiness and Irish wiskey with coffee.

Review in detail from:
St. Patrick’s Day, custom and history
St. Patrick’s Day 2003 Festival, Dublin, Ireland
History of St. Patrick’s Day