Growing up, my Irish Catholic mother had an expression for each of lifes many occasions. My mothers expressions were profound, funny and even sarcastic. I have always been amazed at their ability to come back to me at just the right moment to help me laugh, understand and survive.
The expressions I heard growing up were said to my mother by my grandmother. My grandmother, who immigrated to the United States in 1907 from County Mayo Ireland, had many wise words and witty expressions to help my mother navigate lifes ups and downs. I am sure that my great-grandmother shared those same expressions with my grandmother, thereby connecting generation after generation with their wise words and witty expressions.
As a child, I did not have the life experience necessary to appreciate the power and wisdom of these expressions. But, because I heard my mothers expressions all the time, they seeped into my subconscious, against my will. Then miracle of miracles, as I acquired more life experience, I began to appreciate how helpful they were.
My niece recently reminded my mother of one of her own wise words when she brought her dolls dress to my mother for mending. When my mother looked at the quality of the material she said, I cant fix this. To which my niece quickly replied, cant means you wont and its in the book. You see I gave my niece my book Wise Words & Witty Expressions to her for Christmas and the expressions captured in the book of her Irish ancestors were committed to her memory and used to remind my mother that you can do anything you put your mind to, to coin another expression from my book. The youngest members of our family are already finding value in the power of Irish wisdom.
You cant argue with generational success!
The expressions I heard growing up were said to my mother by my grandmother. My grandmother, who immigrated to the United States in 1907 from County Mayo Ireland, had many wise words and witty expressions to help my mother navigate lifes ups and downs. I am sure that my great-grandmother shared those same expressions with my grandmother, thereby connecting generation after generation with their wise words and witty expressions.
As a child, I did not have the life experience necessary to appreciate the power and wisdom of these expressions. But, because I heard my mothers expressions all the time, they seeped into my subconscious, against my will. Then miracle of miracles, as I acquired more life experience, I began to appreciate how helpful they were.
My niece recently reminded my mother of one of her own wise words when she brought her dolls dress to my mother for mending. When my mother looked at the quality of the material she said, I cant fix this. To which my niece quickly replied, cant means you wont and its in the book. You see I gave my niece my book Wise Words & Witty Expressions to her for Christmas and the expressions captured in the book of her Irish ancestors were committed to her memory and used to remind my mother that you can do anything you put your mind to, to coin another expression from my book. The youngest members of our family are already finding value in the power of Irish wisdom.
You cant argue with generational success!
Irish Wisdom Connects Generations