We enjoyed celebrating our distant Irish heritage today by going to the St. Patrick's Day parade in Birmingham. We started this tradition last year after studying St. Patrick in our homeschool class. The kids were really fascinated with the story of this man who did so much to advance Christ's kingdom. Though it's hard to distinguish between legend and history, he was at least a well-revered man of faith. Patrick was kidnapped as a teenager by pirates from his home in England and lived in slavery for several years in Ireland, and then decided after his own education by monks to return to the land of his captivity and serve as a missionary to the Irish people. What a great lesson in truly loving those who have harmed you!
The Chandler family joined us this year at the parade and it was lots of fun. We received enough candy to last us for years, and many colorful beads too. We wondered why the participants didn't throw potatoes, since those are so closely associated with Ireland, but fortunately for us, the only food items thrown besides candy were bags of peanuts. :-) 
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