I confess that growing up I didn’t get the whole idea of St. Patrick’s Day. I suppose that growing up in the South and being Protestant probably had a lot to do with my apathy for this holiday.
I was vaguely aware that far off places like New York and Chicago had big celebrations, parades and such. I had some knowledge of snakes or potatoes I wasn’t sure which, nor did I know what it meant.
I knew that shamrocks looked like four leaf clover to me. My concept of leprechauns came primarily from the cereal, Lucky Charms.
I learned quickly, while in elementary school, that if you did not wear green on March 17 you would have a miserable day. One day of being pinched all day was enough reinforcement to pay attention to the calendar in March!
While I was at the University of Georgia I had several fraternity brothers that were from Savannah. St. Patrick’s Day was a big deal in Savannah. I did not even know that until my acquaintance with those guys.
Since that time I’ve learned that St’ Patrick’s Day was established to commemorate the death of Patrick on March 17, 460. Wow, that was a long time ago!
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. We spent six years in 
captivity and later escaped and went back to England. While back in England he spent 15 years preparing for the priesthood. He then returned to Ireland as a missionary.
There is the story of St. Patrick banishing snakes from Ireland. This is now considered a legend and it is thought that snakes never inhabited the island.
One thing I did not know is that that are approximately nine times more Irish living in the United States than currently live in Ireland. The Irish immigrated in large numbers to the United States during the potato famine of 1845. This must have been where as I child I thought St. Patrick’s Day had something to do with potatoes.
I recently learned that the traditional meal on St. Patrick’s Day, in the US, is corned beef and cabbage. I like corned beef and cabbage, so that is OK with me.
So that tells you how little I knew and the few things I learned about St. Patrick’s Day. However, that does not tell you how St’ Patrick’s Day came to have meaning for me.
March 17, 1979 was the day that brought meaning to this day for me!
That was the day in the small chapel of Northwood Temple in Fayetteville, NC I walked down the aisle with my bride. Now that was a day to remember and commemorate!
This year, March 17, 2009, marks our 30th anniversary. For 30 years now, ole St. Patrick’s Day has held a special meaning for me. Not snakes, shamrocks, leprechaun’s green rivers, green beer, corned beef and cabbage or even potatoes. Just 30 years of a lifetime.
Happy Anniversary Sarah, I love you!
Jay Williams
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