As an adult, I have been turned off by the commercialism of holidays. I have become more interested in the origins of holidays, wanting to bring more meaning to celebrating them. I don't need an excuse to party, drink, exchange gifts, eat candy, and all the things that our society enjoys to excess. I can do that any day of the week. I want to understand what made holidays meaningful in the first place. Since I am  predominately of British descent, I love Saint Patrick's Day and I wanted to share some of its history with you. You can find much more about the day here.

Here is a just a wee bit (ha ha) of Saint Patrick history.

Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he "found God". The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelizing in the northern half of Ireland and converted "thousands". Patrick's efforts against the druids were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove "snakes" out of Ireland (Ireland never had any snakes).

Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland's foremost saint. (Wikipedia)

I am so glad green is associated with this holiday because it is probably in my top two, as favorite colors. I always loved it most as a child, as did my father.  Today I looked through my closet and found the perfect green to wear.  I am wearing a very old pair of Lucky jeans with booties, a bright green silk shirt and colorful scarf. A tiny emerald necklace, silver watch, bracelet and ring finish off my casual OOTD. 

You might notice that I don't have makeup on today. I am using a Retin A cream at night and try to give my skin a rest during the day. I just started using it a couple of weeks ago and since I don't do things like this often I will let you know what I think of it after I have given it a try. I'm not advertising for a product, just sharing way too much of my life. Sorry bout dat! 

This is what I was wearing this time last year. I love that top and had had it for many years. Like a dummy I gave it away and now regret the move. I am always doing that! Look, no snow out back. This year sadly, there are still several feet out there. But it is melting and soon I will be enjoying the happiest place on earth for me.

This is how I wore this green silk top for the first time last June. I am so ready for spring, I feel faint. 

If you haven't participated in my survey yet, I would love you to check it out. It is at the top of this post on the left. It is very short with just ten multiple choice questions. I thought it would be fun to try out Survey Monkey and hopefully improve your blogging experience on Northwest Mountain Living.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peace!

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