The Butterfly and the Bear: Par-Tay!!

My sister Robin emailed the following to me about an hour ago:

Subject:

Guess what today is...‏

National Irish Coffee day! You can’t make this stuff up. I am seriously thinking that an observance is in order tonight. Just not sure if I will be able to pick up the whipped cream on my way home… I’ll need to think that through .

How was I unaware of this glorious holiday?! Uhm, of course I will observe, after all, I love coffee, I really love coffee with alcohol, and I am Irish to boot, so I say let’s celebrate!

Robin’s email was a nice surprise on a grey snowy day as well as reminder that life can and should be a celebration. I am not saying we should live life like it's one big party, however, it is easy to get lost in the mundane every day routine. Sure we celebrate the big ones; Christmas, Thanksgiving, but in between the big Holidays it is easy for regular life to take over. Too often we rush home, harried and tired from the workday and the commute, we whip up dinner and park ourselves in front of the TV, go to bed and do it all over again the next day. It's difficult to create small celebrations during the week, but so rewarding and fun when we do!

Growing up my parents were great at creating magic and tradition and celebrating the big and small holidays. Valentine’s Day my Father would come home from the city with goodies for all the ladies in his life, my sisters and I usually got red socks adorned with hearts, and red foil wrapped chocolates. Fat Tuesday before lent my Mother would anonymously leave treats in our rooms, cookies in a plastic bag pinned to the bulletin board above your desk, candies hidden under your pillow. On a regular Tuesday! What a treat! Growing up we had a dear family friend who knew how to really celebrate life; Father Earl lived every day to the fullest, he loved food, friends, celebrations, and living the good life. He and my Mother would orchestrate these amazing meals from seemingly nothing, the emptier the cabinets the more they relished the challenge. They would turn a simple meal on a regular night into a party! Father Earl was wonderful at not only creating celebrations in life, but also at celebrating the people in his life. Randomly he would decide a certain day was “Your Day.” On "Mandy Day" (a Thursday in August, out of the blue!) we came home to find a huge children's activities workbook, crayons and cookies stacked by the front door, all for me in honor of my day! A day I hadn't even been aware of until then! Each of my sisters had a turn getting their own day, on my sister Claire’s day I remember we all ate “Eclair’s” of course. Father Earl passed when I was 8 years old and I remember the adults all laughing incredulously at his wake when they found out that he was not in fact born on Saint Patrick's Day as he claimed, but a few weeks before. This was a man who knew how to live well and have fun while doing it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love routine, taking care of a toddler every day has taught me how essential routine is, however, life is good, we need to celebrate it! Tonight, my sister, brother in law and I will celebrate National Irish Coffee Day, not because we are in fact Irish or really love coffee that much, but because we have so much to celebrate. On a cold night, getting together and enjoying something while we chat and catch up, this is what life is about, reveling in the simple pleasures and taking time to count our blessings. So whether you celebrate National Eggs Benedict Day (April 16th) or National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (June 7th, and I intend to celebrate both FYI) make sure you are finding opportunities to celebrate life and the people around you who make it a good one. Tonight I will raise a nice warm mug of Irish Coffee to everyone in my life who has blessed me with their love, friendship and company. Sláinte

Irish Coffee Recipe:

Two parts Irish whiskey

Four parts hot coffee

One and a half parts fresh cream

One teaspoon brown sugar

Good Company

A Pinch of Blessings and Gratitude