Monday, March 23, 2020

Our Leprechaun by Kathryn Hills #RomanceGems


I’m at a loss for words these days. THAT never happens. Staring at a blank screen I wondered… What shall I talk about on my blog day? With St. Patrick’s Day and the first day of spring behind us—unremarkable, and rightly so with this awful virus—and so many people home with kids, I thought… Maybe I could tell you a family story? So, pull up a chair.

We have one child, an incredible daughter, who is now in her mid-twenties. When she was young, she set our home “on its ear”. It all began when she was maybe four, in preschool, and she had a lovely teacher named Mrs. Connelley. As you may surmise, Mrs. Connelley was of Irish descent, and she brought her love of the Emerald Isle to her tiny students. That’s charming, you might say. And it truly was! The children made shamrock crafts, colored rainbows and pots of gold, made Leprechauns hats and shoes, all in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day. On the actual day, everyone was excited to enter the classrooms and enchanted find green glittery Leprechaun footprints on the floors and up the walls. Even on the ceilings! MAGIC had come to their little corner of the world, and our daughter was overjoyed.

Fast forward to March of first or second grade. (It’s a long time ago, so I’m not exactly certain which) Ever since Mrs. Connelley introduced our daughter to the leprechaun back in preschool, the wee sprite visited our home on St. Patrick’s Day. Poof! Like fairy magic, chocolate coins appeared, mostly around decorations our daughter still crafted with great care. This leprechaun didn’t walk on walls or ceilings. However, he was generous with his chocolate coins. Thoughtful, too, because he hid them in high places since we had dogs. And, it didn’t matter to him our family hailed from countries other than Ireland. Our daughter’s enthusiasm had helped him find us. She was certain.

I was always happily “surprised” by the chocolate treasure our girl hauled in each St. Patrick’s Day morning. Being of Swedish and German ancestry, I’d never experienced the joy of a leprechaun visit. Mr. H’s family is French-Canadian/British and Italian, so no leprechauns there either. Yet Mrs. Connelley’s and our daughter’s hopeful magic was strong stuff, and that made it super-fun for all of us.

The trouble… or rather the setting on the ear part… came when other children questioned, “Why did a leprechaun come to your house and not mine?” Some found chocolate coins or little treasures, but most didn’t. It appeared the leprechaun magic only worked for a select few. “That’s not fair,” our daughter decreed, adding, “Why would he leave someone out and make them sad?”

I’ve drawn a blank as to what my answer was. I think I blacked out. Parental fear is a real thing, people! I DO remember the angry mother who stopped me at the entrance to school the next day. “Why the HELL did you do the leprechaun? We’re Irish, and we don’t even do the leprechaun! Now I have to…*grumble*grumble*grumble grumble*…As if the damn bunny isn’t enough…*grumble*grumble*grumble*grumble*…” Thankfully, the woman huffed and stomped away without further incident.

You see, the Hills women have been stirring up mischief for a very long time. Innocently, but still…*wink* For the record, my daughter’s leprechaun is ALWAYS welcome in our home! Any reason to find joy and celebrate childhood, springtime, and fairy magic.

Thanks for reading. Perhaps someday I’ll tell you the story of “the citizens.” Another day. Until next time… I wish you, and all those you love, good health, lasting peace, and real hope during these trying times.

~ Kathryn

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26 comments:

  1. The leprechaun still visits my daughter's home to this day. Hey, some of us are just lucky. Take care of yourself, husband, and that super daughter of yours.

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    1. Awesome, Nora, your daughter IS lucky! ๐Ÿ€ We're at home, which is the ONLY place to be now. Doing our best along with you and everyone else, I'm sure. Be well! ❤️

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  2. I have never even heard of this tradition...that's how Irish we are! LOL But it sure sounds like fun for the kiddos.

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    1. The kids had a blast, and their stunned expressions upon seeing green, glittery footprints everywhere... ❤️

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  3. One of the Kindergarten teachers that I worked with was also very Irish (O'Brien). She did similar stuff. The children also had a home project where they had to make Leprechaun traps and bring them in. The rest of the school found green glitter everywhere on that day. And the custodians smiled through their grumbles as they cleaned it at the end of the day. Fun is never a bad thing!

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    1. Aawww... I do feel for those custodians though. We had green glitter EVERYWHERE those years with all the crafting. Even our dogs shimmered in the sunlight. ๐Ÿ˜‚

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  4. I love your leprechaun story, and your daughter is amazing. I think you know I'm of Irish descent, and my great-grandfather actually saw a leprechaun before he emigrated to the US. One of many supernatural encounters our family has had on both sides of "the pond."

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    1. Thanks, Judy! THAT is very cool about your great-grandfather! I need to hear that story someday. Looking forward to the day when we can meet up again in Salem! Be well. ❤️

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  5. Great story. Made me smile, always a good thing.

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    1. Thanks, Kathleen, I'm so glad! Take care. ❤️

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  6. I love this story! Being of Irish surname AND descent, I'm particularly charmed by it, but disappointed that he's never come to our house, either. :-)

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    1. *gasp* It's happening AGAIN! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Thanks, Liz! Be well.

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  7. This is such a cute story. We have something similar here it has yo do with St. Nick.

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    1. Thanks, Deborah! Snowy footprints, perhaps? ๐ŸŽ…

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    1. Thanks, Kara! Hope all is well with you and yours. ❤️

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    1. I think it is, Mary. Plus, we're writing some new ones as we navigate these uncharted waters together. Be well!

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  10. Hey I'm Irish and the Leprechaun never came to our house but that's probably bcz the adults were too busy drinking green beer and tequila! Lol

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    1. ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ I'm goin' to your house next year for St. Patrick's Day! ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ€

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  11. Thanks, I needed that smile at the end of a very long day! Delightful story. Kind of reminded me of the time a new neighbor, upon meeting me, griped about my Halloween decorations because her kindergarten-aged daughters wanted some too. The spirit of Scrooge even before Christmas!

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    1. Three spirits in the night required! Exactly! We've been in trouble for Halloween decorations too, but never in New England. Here, that holiday is typically wholeheartedly embraced. Thanks for reading, Joan. I'm glad my story brought a smile. Be well. ❤️

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  12. I loved this story. I have a similar one about our youngest daughter and Christmas stockings. We always celebrate the wearin' o' the green. Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day. We are a little Irish and proud of it when we had our DNA tested.

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    1. SO true! ๐Ÿ€ You know...We haven't done a DNA test. It's quite possible there's a bit o' Irish in me and Mr. H. I hope so! ๐Ÿ€

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  13. Great share, definitely hope you had a good st Patrick's day.

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  14. Thank you, Calvin! That's very kind. It was understated this year, for sure, but I spent it with my husband and daughter. That makes it perfect! We cooked and tuned into the Dropkick Murphys' free concert, which was a blast! ๐Ÿ€

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