St. Patrick's Day

When I was a child, I really thought our family was Irish. We always celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a chocolate cake with green frosting, and it was pretty common to wear green and to have corned beef, cabbage, and boiled potatoes for dinner that day.

My dad's birthday was that day, and his name was Patrick. My dad died when I was ten years old. He died on my birthday. The St. Patrick's Day meal and cake continued. It just didn't have birthday candles on it.

I am Anishinabe, an Ojibwe word for "The people", and I grew up knowing that I was Indian. Being called Indian and many other similar terms. So, I knew I was more than Irish. And someone had said we were French too.

When I looked at my ancestry a few years ago, I had 3-4% Irish blood, while one of my children had 0%, and another one had 5%. Then I had heard we had French blood, while my son and I have 0%, and my daughter has 1%.

Ancestry is interesting, as according to ancestry, I am 56% Native American, 23% English/British, while my children are 28/29% Native, and 6, and 10% English/British. I was never told anything about that.

There are other small percentages from other places like Wales and Scotland, around 4 and 3%, and then a couple of others with 1% for Germany and Denmark. 6% ancestry from Quebec (Native Canadian?). Quebec is a place?

So, when people talk about being Heinz 57, or a mutt, this is what they are referring to, right? I prefer to be considered Native American/Indigenous/ American Indian/Indian. All terms I have been referred to by. I will leave the other name-calling out of this.

Since my mother died, our family no longer celebrates St. Patricks day with a chocolate cake and green frosting. My mother loved to bake and was a very good cook. As far as I know, no one has continued the corned beef and cabbage dish either.

All of my mother's life, her favorite color was green. She wore green quite often. I think the wee bit of Irish came from my father, but I haven't paid the fee to find out what parent contributed what ancestry.

I just may do that someday, but in the meantime, in March, I will celebrate my husband's birthday, two daughters-in-law, and 2 granddaughters' birthdays.

Then there is always Women's History Month, Spring Equinox, and the Blood Moon with the total lunar eclipse! Plenty to see and do this month.

Back to being Irish. My mother would have us look for four-leaf clovers in fields as they were good luck. She was a storyteller and was always telling stories and reading us books.

Some people believe that if you find a four-leaf clover, you will find love. Others will say it will bring fame, wealth, love, and health.

Then again, what are the odds of finding a four-leaf clover? One in 10,000 is what I read. Good luck with that. I have seen a few in my lifetime though, so it isn't impossible. As kids, we never found one, but that didn't stop mom from having us look.

I would like to tell you that I found a four-leaf clover, and that is why I have been so happy in love for the majority of my marriages. I was married at 17; today, I think it was too young, and I still have no regrets. I got two beautiful children from that marriage.

In my second marriage, I inherited a bonus child who is my son in every way but biologically. No regrets, as my second husband helped me raise our children. Now my good luck charm has given me four more bonus children, and he is great. We have so much in common, and I have no regrets.

I truly have love and health. The fame and wealth I really have no interest in. I'm comfortable just the way I am.