Green River/Green Life

The Chicago River is officially green, flowing with colored dye, a strange tradition if ever I’ve heard one. Shamrocks are adorning lapels, pots of gold are showing up at doorsteps, and bars are planning for busy nights.  Somewhere I’m sure party goers are wearing little green hats and carrying fake shillelaghs.  It’s March 17^th and a lot of people will be getting ready to celebrate (or use the day as an excuse to party) that certain saint whose name is most associated with Ireland- Its Patron Saint in fact.  You know his name.  I plan on celebrating too by remembering a special saint whose life was lived with a generosity that many people found hard to understand or even tolerate.  This person is also a patron saint of Ireland- I guess there are alternates—and this astounding life of service deserves more recognition beyond Ireland’s shores.  If I were to associate a color with this Saint, it would also be green.  Green is the color of growth, life, and vitality.  There couldn’t be a life more wrapped in a lush and growing beauty than… St. Brigid of Kildare.

I’m not well versed in the lives of Saints, not having grown up in a Catholic tradition, but the life of Brigid is well worth a closer inspection for anyone who wonders about those engaging human traits of generosity and hospitality. I became acquainted with Brigid through reading the book In the Sanctuary of Women by writer/artist Jan Richardson.  I was captivated by this woman and the life she lived in Ireland many centuries ago.  She is most known for her lavish hospitality and unrestricted generosity.  She was a woman who had a habit of the wildest bounty. ¹  Wow! What a description. When I hear the word habit, it’s usually accompanied by the words quit, or break… but this kind of habit is one to admire and to establish. What an amazing way for Brigid to be remembered, for practicing a habit that never needed to be broken: spreading bounty to all she met.  The spirit of generosity comes from deep within. It can wither from inattention or be cultivated like a green and growing garden. Developing generosity and hospitality, however, is a hands-on practice as much as it is an attitude of the heart. A habit of the wildest bounty sounds pretty overwhelming, yet like dropping any habit or establishing a new one, it is changing an action that can be the starting place as much as changing one’s mind. Bit by bit, minute by minute, a small start begins the change. The bigger lifestyle adjustment follows. I don’t know what specific inner spiritual belief prompted her wild generosity. The stories of her life focus on what she did: her gifts of food; her caring for the poor; her tender ministry to the ill. These habits of the hands were the evidence of habits of the heart.

 Today is not Brigid’s feast day, a day set aside by the church to honor and celebrate her life. Today’s honoree is good old St. Patrick, who also led a life of service, but any day and every day is the right day to celebrate a tiny act of generosity. It may grow into a new habit. No parades or green dye necessary, no stereotypical images of leprechauns or rainbows anywhere in sight. It is always the right time to green up my soul that lately is a little dry and shriveled; to pour out love a little more generously in a way that flows more authentically than an artificially green river. The color of the day is green, that lovely color of growth and life. The Irish are famous for blessings- May the Road Rise to Meet You; May Love and Laughter Light your Days; May Peace and Plenty Bless your World…

On this not-quite-a-feast day, I leave you with a blessing. I think St. Brigid would approve

Blessing

May a Habit of Generosity Grow and Flourish Within

May a Holy Hospitality Spill Out to all You Meet

May Your Spirit Be Green with Newness of Life

Do you recognize the map of Ireland, a green jewel of an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish and Celtic Seas?  Kildare is visible on the east side and a tiny wooden branch with leaves symbolizes the life of Brigid.  There is a dimensional effect to this tile. I drew the map, painted it and then attached it to the watercolor background.  I wanted to convey Brigid’s generous life standing out above an intensely colored sea.

How does the spirit of generosity and hospitality grow in your life? 

1 I recommend In the Sanctuary of Women (2010) by Jan L. Richardson.  Her art and words will bless you.  This book is widely available online or in bookstores, along with many other fascinating and challenging books by this talented woman.