This photo is one of the plates in a set of dishes I own. I bought them at Home Goods in 2008. I don’t have a complete set, but a few dinner plates, several salad dessert plates, a couple of small bowls and lots of mugs. Even though it is not a complete set, it is my favorite set of dishes.
Because…
Of the fire. When we lost our home in October 2007, we’d just returned from a wonderful family vacation trip to Hawaii that included Charlie and me, my parents, my two sisters and one sister’s husband. That whirlwind 7-day trip was the last time we had a “quality” family vacation that included my father. My father, suffering from heart disease, continued his downward spiral and finally passed away in January 2013. So, this trip to Hawaii is now one of my fondest memories.
That same year, a few months before in late August, I went to Ireland with my girlfriend, Christin. That was one of those experiences that I would deem “a trip of a lifetime.” I’ve written a long, rambling post about our fabulous trip to Ireland with many beautiful photos taken by me but provided by Christin (fortuitously, I’d made a CD of our photos and given it to Christin before the fire). You can read that post here: An Irish Blessing (or two)…
The fact that I went on two fabulous vacations within months of each other is unusual. I rarely take a vacation that includes leaving our city, much less leaving our country. It was a fabulous summer and early fall, followed by a catastrophic loss. So, that year and those events are permanently etched in my mind.
Whenever I use these plates and mugs, it reminds me of that time: Ireland, Hawaii, fire. Since I use one of the mugs everyday for my morning coffee, it’s a constant reminder. But, as the years pass, the memories of Ireland and Hawaii become more meaningful and the fire less pronounced.
I like to believe that leprechauns were at Home Goods that day, filling the store with Irish cheer and beautiful Irish-inspired gifts, calling me in a wee leprechaun whisper, “take me home, take me home!” Because while these plates are of Ireland’s Blarney Castle, they are manufactured by the English company, Johnson Brothers.
Now that’s Leprechaun magic at work, indeed!
Tootles (from me and my leprechauns),
Related Posts:
(other posts about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day)
- 42 Shades of Red
- An Irish Blessing (or two)…
- Anything’s Possible
- Believe You Can
- Baloney vs Blarney
- Dreamers Who Do
- Easy Shamrocks and Leprechaun Centerpiece
- Fly
- Irish Rainbow Country Potatoes
- Leprechaun Bagels
- Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
- Sweet and Spicy Leprechaun Cheese Spread
- The Leprechaun Cake Wreck Caper
- The Luck of the Irish
- The Month in Review – September 2012
- The Month in Review – November 2012
- The Two Most Important Days of Your Life
- Under Construction
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