This was Celtic Faire Sunday. Everything went very well at least we thought so. The Mass went flawlessly though as Jeff said, the dancers were missed. I told him that the dancers that did the liturgical dance are out of high school and away at college now. Perhaps next year we can pursue some other options.

The music and musicians were great. We had Martin doing the guitar. A gentleman from Manitowoc who played the bagpipes and was really good and a violin and bodhrun. The Kinderkor sang too. They are a nice group of school children.

I set up a vendor table and featured my book, the tiles I have been painting and Fr. Mike Shea's ladies goods. Didn't sell much but did sell some things and saw lots of people.

I had corned beef and cabbage for lunch and brought a dinner home for Dick. Then just before closing they were selling off sandwiches for $1.00 each so I got two hamburgers and two brats. That will take care of tomorrow's supper too.

The Packers won today too. By the skin of their chinny chin chins but they won. My first week's picks in the football league are pretty bad. I will have to study harder I guess.

Bobbie made tiramisu today and she and Bill brought it over for us all, Jim and Michelle too, to have dessert together tonight. Nice thought, nice visit and great tiramisu. Now Jim has to make his again. (He makes a great one too.) I believe a taste off was mentioned sometime during the evening.

Dick is afraid that he had developed a bladder infection after all. Tomorrow we contact Dr. Sharon again for some meds. He will be sure by then anyway.

Tomorrow is bible study and the Rhine Plymouth meeting. Not exactly a quiet day. But not too busy either.

I thought that perhaps I would publish the little cover story that I wrote for the worship folder for mass for those of you that could not attend the mass. I am a bit proud of it.


Mary

The Hearth Fire.

Homes in Ireland were designed, no matter how small, to provide room to gather around the hearth for food and social activities. The hearth symbolizes Irish hospitality towards strangers while the turf fire symbolizes family continuity. The fire was never allowed to die out as it was believed that if it did, the soul of the family would also die.

Evening was a time for storytelling and songs. Wandering balladeers or fiddlers, even professional storytellers along with the bacach, or beggerman, joined the family for tea and Irish soda bread and were welcome to spend the night on a bench by the fire. Interesting guests would bring the neighbors to join in the fun

The Irish, though poor always welcomed the stranger.

This kindness towards strangers mirrors ancient Jewish culture. Stranger and travelers were always welcome to the table and were provided shelter before they continuing on their way.

And if there were interesting guests at a home, the neighbors, uninvited would come and join the festivities, listening to the goings on by standing inside the walls so that they could hear and join in if invited. Reading the Gospels gives us a picture of this practice.

The homeless and wanderers are still in our midst. Too bad, the welcoming concept is gone. Some of that is just common sense, but it has taken a whole culture of the poor out of a cycle that DID provide food, shelter and a kind of social structure. How sad to be unwelcome and shunned in one's own community.