Galway Girl

I love March 17th. The only thing that could make it better is if I had inherited red hair. I did, however, inherit pasty white skin...and today I am proud of it. Today I think fondly (well, more so than I do every other day) of one of the most beautiful and mystical countries in the world. And of my ancestors who were born there so long ago. One in particular, Ann Waters, was born near the coast not far from the city of Galway. Unfortunately, I discovered this only a month before Joel and I visited Ireland, leaving little time or room in our itinerary to make the trip to her tiny birth town. Someday. But as I looked out across the sea from Galway Bay, I could imagine Ann just two hours north, doing the same. I felt close to my roots. Connected.

I love learning about my heritage. I'm proud of the Irish, Italian, Polish and French-Canadian blood that courses through my veins. I'm proud of my great-grandparents who bravely boarded a ship and crossed the Atlantic in search of a better life for their children, and their children's children. But above all, I'm proud to have been adopted through the blood of a Jewish carpenter. I'm proud to call believers of all nationalities and races my brothers and sisters. So today I celebrate those that came before me. I honor my ancestors for the sacrifices they made to give me the life I have. But I remember that my true identity is in Christ, in whom my roots are firmly planted.

Christ with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ within me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ at my right
Christ at my left
Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me
Salvation is of the Lord
-From the breastplate of St. Patrick