I'm an Irishman by marriage. And I have the claddagh ring, complete with an emerald, crafted in Ireland on my left hand to prove it. This Irish lass named Kathleen Anne by her parents, wanted to have a happy memory centered on St. Patty's day so that when her parents were gone, she would have another reason to celebrate. That was nearly 7 years ago. During the 7 plus years I have known this woman, who is pure Irish, we have had a wonderful adventure. This story is about last nights adventure.
We have developed a Saturday evening tradition of 5pm church. The congregation that we are in, has 4 services each weekend starting Saturday evening, followed by a couple on Sunday morning and concluding on Monday night. After Saturday church we head out to grab a bite to eat. Last night, we both were hungry and yet I had to run the other side of town to retrieve my cellphone which I left sitting on my desk earlier in the day.
We parked 2 blocks away and there was a line at the door, so we scooted to a couple empty bar stools. Kathy's mood transformed as the beer arrived, followed by the Corned Beef & Cabbage and Bangers & Mash.
The town grew a little smaller, in a friendly and familiar style, as I realized that I knew the manager, and a couple of other patrons that were there last night. I also saw hope for something that has been talked about for decades.
That something is the rebirth of our downtown. Although I disagree with the way our community has been going about acquiring land and the governments involvement that puts us local residents on the financial hook with taxes, I do like the possible results.
I see it with the revitalization of the property that used to by Southtown Mall. And as my Irish lass and I were walking back to the car last night with our bellies full and a bag of leftovers from JK O'Donnells, we were wondering out loud about what this town of ours will be like in another 5 years. And we smiled as we headed back to our home.
No comments:
Post a Comment