Mama's Hands and the Shamrock Pin

A repost








With the name Donnell in my Scotch-Irish roots from my mother's side of the family,
Saint Patrick's Day was fun for my mom. In her neatly arranged jewelry box of tiny treasures were three shiny green Shamrock pins. Each year on March 17th, she would
carefully pull them out. First Rachel got her pin, then me, then Andrea. (My baby sister Jill wasn't born till I was 14, and so wasn't part of this ceremony of sorts with us. ) Mama would smile and say, "You have to wear a little green or you might get pinched."

Getting pinched was not something I liked. Some people might, but I have always had flashbacks of having my cheeks pinched by a Persian immigrant when I was three. It was his way of greeting me. Not fun. I would rather have had a lollipop.

The shamrock pin would surely thwart anyone's evil intentions in school. It was a given. Wearing green was a safeguard, and even if I weren't wearing noticeably green clothes, I kept that lapel shamrock in plain sight all day.

I think the best part of wearing it, though, was having it put on. My mom's soft, beautiful hands close to my heart (literally) comforted me before I left for school. I knew she would never let the pin stick me; she would take the pain herself if necessary. She took seriously my fear of being pinched. Having been severely pinched many times by the monster toes of her older brothers, she didn't laugh at my pinch-phobia. She protected me, and added a little fun to the mix. Wearing a shamrock was fun protection against being pinched by any mean boy or obnoxious girl.

Thanks, Mama. I am wearing a lot of green today. I happen to have donned a long-sleeved avocado green shirt of Paul's that has an American Red Cross logo on it and the slogan, "It's Hip to Give." Thanks for giving me an appreciation of my Irish heritage in a small, fun way, but more importantly, for showing me many kindnesses with your hands. I'll never forget the way you pinned a shiny shamrock to my shirt every March 17th to protect me from my then-worst fear. Top o' the mornin' to ya!