Once I was a proud & mighty Shamrock…

I remember a simpler time. When my biggest challenge of the day was eating my dinner as fast as I could in order to rejoin the neighbourhood hide and seek game. I grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario and though I didn’t know it at the time and counted down the days to get out when I was older; I was very fortunate to have lived there. Our neighbours were our friends and everyone knew one another. I would walk to school and be greeted by a dozen different people along the way. That school was St. Patrick’s elementary. It was basically a big rectangle surrounded by a sea of concrete, I remember my first day there I had green ribbons in my hair. I spent 10 years of my life learning, growing & building friendships behind those navy blue doors. 

We were a very tight knit group and stayed that way for the course. I don’t recall anything we didn’t do together, birthday parties, field trips, soccer, basketball, sleepovers…a lot of fun was had. Today after many years, too many years I had the immense pleasure of sitting down to lunch with 6 of these lovely women. Truth be told I had a few moments before this reunion where I was feeling somewhat apprehensive..would it be weird? What would we talk about after all these years? Any fears or doubts I had were immediately forgotten the moment they started to arrive. Instant comfort, hugs, a tear or two and smiles all around; like not a day of time had passed between us.

It was an afternoon of laughter and childhood stories, pouring over pictures of these silly looking little girls who resembled so strongly the women we have become. I hope they know how fondly I look back on those times, and that although work and studies have taken me to various places in my life my home will always be in Niagara. What I learned today can be best summed up with a quote by Tennessee Williams – “Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going.”

Go Shamrocks!