Here's to the Irish on their favorite Saint's Day....

Here's to the poets whose words make us weep,
and to the warriors who deeds inspired great tales and songs of long ago.
Here's to the land of High Kings, where freedom is so dearly loved.

Here's to the saints and monks and scribes,
who kept so much of civilization alight during dark times
and preserved for us a glimpse into the misty past.

Here's to farmers and miners and stone workers,
who built not only their country but in part ours,
unafraid of hard work and wretched conditions.

Here's to the men and women and children,
sold off by the British to colonists as slaves,
who were beaten and killed, yet somehow thrived.

Here's to the Irish who came seeking life,
while starvation claimed their beloved Isle,
who faced "No Irish" signs and cold shoulders in their new land.

Here's to the Irish, whose spirit never gave up,
as they built communities and homes in cities and rural mountains,
who never took a no but that they turned it to a yes.

Here's to the Irish, who have lived and died for our country,
who love their faith, their families and their land deeply,
who grace us with smiles and gift us with their determination.

Here's to the Irish on their patron saint's day,
may they be blessed for they have been a blessing unto us,
and may God ever smile upon them.

Here's to the Irish and those blest enough to love them,
for to have an Irishman's heart and to know their love,
is to have a bit of heaven in your life everyday.

Here's to my Irishman,
with his smile that warms me, his love that surrounds me,
his touch that comforts me, his laugh that is infectious
and his faith that never dims.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, to my Charles​, and to all our Irish friends and family.

Bealtaine an aoibh gháire Dé solais leat chun ghlóir.

May the smile of God light you to glory.


A blessed Irishman's wife,

-Beth Haynes Butler​