My father was proud of his Irish blood. St. Paddy’s Day was a big deal to him. He always cooked up a batch of corn beef with cabbage and potatoes. And, he would play those same old records. Danny Boy, Irish Eyes Are Smiling. Corny? Maybe, but not to his way of thinking.

Some sort of party was usually thrown. Big or small, it didn’t matter, as long as there was an audience after he’d thrown back a few and was ready to launch into one of his always riveting yarns about the old days and our ancestors.

Papa passed away December 17th, 2009. I can tell you this, we’ll be missing him tonight when we dig into our version of his corn beef and cabbage. We’ll make a toast to his memory and we might even try to do justice while telling one or two of his stories. It’s important that the kids don’t forget where they came from.