According to my DNA test results, I am 23% Irish-Scottish. I wish I would have known this  before Mr. Virgo died because he was a very, very proud Irish lad. I mean…McKinney, right? It doesn’t get much more Irish than that. He acted like he had a corner on the market when it came to Irish roots. He adored St. Patrick’s Day. Every year, we had corned beef and cabbage and fried apples for dinner. He stopped short of wearing green since he worked in 5-Star hotels and restaurants. He had a certain decorum about him. But, ohhhhhh, that was HIS holiday.

He called me the night of the 16th and said…”OMGosh! I forgot to buy green food coloring for the beer! You’ve got to go to the store for me!” Ok…every…stinking…year. 

“Are you telling me you can’t think of this at least ONCE in the 364 days between the holidays?” I was always thunderstruck this incredibly organized VIRGO couldn’t seem to grasp that he was going to need green food coloring every year.

“Yes! Please…it’s 9:00! The stores are going to close soon…I need to bring it in with me in the morning. Get as many bottles as you can!”

***sigh***

“Ok, babe…I’ll do my best!”

We lived in a teeny little town with one grocery store. I rushed in and cornered the first grocery clerk I came to. “Quick! Green food coloring! I need ALL of your green food coloring!”

Do you have a picture in your mind of the look on her face? 

“Ummmmmm, ok. It’s over here.”

Four little bottles. I bought them and tried to calculate if I could get to the next town in time before they closed so I could buy more when my better angels said, “Nahhhhh…that’s enough.”

Every year…same thing.

I was sitting in the pizza joint typing this the other night. I haven’t really felt Mr. Virgo around for quite awhile, but as I was in the middle of typing this story and literally laughing out loud…the radio overhead got really loud.

“At Last” by Etta James.

We danced our first dance to that song. I sat back and looked at the empty seat across the booth from me and smiled. 

‘Are you here? Did you come to say hello? Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Mr. Virgo! I’m so glad you stopped by.’

❤️

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”    Mark 16:16 NIV