If you asked me over a year ago, Do you think you would ever go to Ireland and find your Pot of Gold? I would have said, " probably not!" But I did indeed find my Pot of Gold in Ireland last week.
Our youngest daughter has been studying abroad in Brussels and when she had a two week semester break, we decided to go visit her for a week in Europe. We chose Ireland to visit because it was only a short plane ride for her from Brussels. Did we have the money to go? Was it a good financial decision to go? Did we miss Jane like crazy? Would it be a worthwhile trip? NO and NO to the first two questions, and Heck YES to the last two!
Letting Jane go abroad was probably one of the hardest decisions we have ever made, but our hearts told us, she needed to go and that it was the right thing for her to do. I cried so hard for a week before we put her on the plane to leave, I prayed that this would be a positive experience and would change her life.
So how does this all lead up to finding my Pot of Gold? Well I will tell you.
I first found my Pot of Gold when I first saw my baby girls smiling face when we met up with her in Dublin after not having seen her in months. To see that smile was priceless and its shine warmed my heart and my soul.
I next found Gold in Ireland by having 7 straight days of Golden Sunshine. Something the locals in Ireland said is very rare at this time of year. God was smiling down at us each day in those beautiful rays of sunshine, he knows how special this trip was to us.
I found Gold in finding the birth place of my Great Grandmother Julia Marie Kelly Tobin. The house was still standing with only three walls, but the connection I felt to my ancestors and knowing that this is where my Nana's mother was born, gave me the strongest sense of awe and connection to my roots. No money on earth can give you that feeling, but there is definitely Gold in knowing how precious that moment of finding her house gave me.
I found Gold in being with my husband and being so grateful to experience Ireland and all the different counties that my relatives came from with him by my side. And definitely Gold in the fact that he did a great job driving on the Left Side of the Road.
I found Gold in the sheer beauty of the Waterfalls, the landscape, the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the golden daffodils all in bloom, the mountain side, the counties, and the music we heard in pubs and on the streets of Ireland.
I found Gold in having Jane travel with us, and having her be so engaging, and talkative the entire time. Not once did she use her phone to call people, text people, or play games. She sat in the back seat and regaled us with stories of her months in Brussels, all the people she has met, all the different sights she has seen, and her excitement of her future plans. She and Donnie marveled at the history of all the castles and sights we saw. We talked about politics, science, evolution, religion, life and love. She was and is "Happy" and to me that is worth more than all the Gold in the world.
It didn't rain, so we saw no Rainbows, but we saw so many stars each night as we finished our days of sightseeing. I didn't meet any leprechauns, and I didn't see any fairies, but I felt the magic in the air, and the spirits of my ancestors.
We didn't need a rainbow to find a pot of gold at the end of, because the Gold was with us every day, and is still with us. My Pot of Gold was with me all along, because whether I'm in Ireland or here at home, my Pot of Gold comes is the warmth of Family, Friends and Love.
