Festival Time!

I'm headed to the Milwaukee Irish Fest, the largest Irish festival in the world. I'm really looking forward to meeting new folks who share my passion for Irish culture and history. I'm also looking forward to getting reacquainted with some old friends. Author Patti Lacy will be speaking and signing with me. It's her first time at the Fest. We're sure to have a lot of fun. I will also be meeting up with author Brenna Briggs. Brenna has arranged a pre-Fest book signing at Books & Brew in Milton, WI. There will be several authors there, so if you're in the area stop in!

I'm also looking forward to seeing Dr. Tim Campbell again. He is the director of the Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. He will be speaking about the history of County Down, and I'm really looking forward to that since that's where my ancestors came from. Tim also helped me with the section on St. Patrick in my new book.

If you're at the fest, stop by Sean's Celtic Creations. Sean makes quality Celtic jewelry. Next time you see me, look at my wedding ring as an example. I always enjoy stopping by and saying hello to Sean. He's been so encouraging to me in my writing journey.

And besides all that, I'm looking forward to the fabulous Celtic music at the Fest!

Blessings!

RIP Author Frank McCourt

"People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests, bullying schoolmasters; the English and all the terrible things they did to us for 800 long years."--Frank McCourt in Angela's Ashes

Time.com has a wonderful article about Frank McCourt. While his childhood was miserable, he overcame it, and that's the lesson to remember. I think his book was such a success because he shared his soul, painful as his memories were. When an author puts so much of himself into his work it shows and people can relate. I know Angela's Ashes touched my heart.

Blessings to the McCourt family in their time of loss.

Don't Have Time to Read? I'm Not Buying It!

I hear this from people all the time. I have two thoughts about it:
1) What you are really saying is, "I choose not to read." Or maybe, "I don't like to read [fiction, news, books...whatever.]
2) How did we get here from ancient times when wars were fought over the possession of books?

First of all, it's simply not true that someone doesn't have time to read. When people say this it's like they're trying to make themselves appear super important, like they're as busy as a CEO. But wait, CEOs read, don't they? They read books, newspapers, web sites, blogs...they have to keep a finger on the pulse of society and trends. Even busy people find time to read. I simply cannot buy into the fact there is no free time in a person's day. We wait in line at the grocery. We wait at the hair salon, the doctor's office, the dentist. You can choose to bring your own reading material or read a six-month-old People Magazine in the waiting room, but either way you're choosing to read--or not, but it's a choice. Another choice is music, talk radio, or audio books. People spend lots of time in cars. There IS time to read!

Did you know that St. Columcille (founder of Iona) so coveted a book that he snuck off and copyed it at night by candlelight? (Or, as the legend goes, he did not need candles because his fingers were luminous.) When he was discovered, he refused to give his copy back. Books were so rare and valuable that a war was fought over it. And the result was that Columcille end up living in Iona instead of Ireland. (Well, the result was actually more earth shattering than that!) You can read about this in my new book, Celtic Wisdom.

But whatever you do, don't say you don't have time to read!

To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue, p. 2-3.

"There are journeys we have begun that have brought us great inner riches and refinement; but we had to travel through dark valleys of difficulty and suffering. Had we known at the beginning what the journey would demand of us, we might never have set out. Yet the rewards and gifts became so vital to who we are. Through the innocence of beginning we are often seduced into growth."