Recently, Petey, my oldest dog, developed a condition called Dropped Jaw. A nerve controls the jaw muscle, and as some dogs age, it swells, and the jaw stops working. Treatment? Wait 1-3 weeks and see if it clears up, because that's basically all you can do.
Petey's better now. I think he eats more slowly, but is otherwise back to his old self. But it was a surreal 2 weeks. Getting Petey enough food and water became... involved. First, I ground up his dry food with chicken broth and eggs. Then we went to canned. Then, soft dry food. And water? Well, I watered him with a turkey baster (which I promise I will never use again at Thanksgiving). Then, I crushed ice for him.
He's lucky he recovered, or I think he'd be living with my mom.
At this point, I'd love to explain that my healthy dog was nice to my sick dog. But she wasn't. Mollie was devastated by all the attention Petey got. She was inconsolable.
That got me thinking. Yes, Mollie is a bit of a brat. But she was responding to being ignored. She was responding to a feeling of neglect. And there's no explaining the whys to a dog.
I think this is true with people too though. People need friends and loved ones. Your friends and loved ones need you. Sometimes you may think that's not true. But if they've invested enough in you to be there when you needed them, then it is true. You're important to them, and they want to believe that you've made some room for them in your heart.
So why don't you make room for them? The reasons can be varied, can't they? You might be stressed. You might be overwhelmed. You might think you aren't needed. I don't know. But the point is, they don't know either. They are just left wondering why you're different now, and what they did to deserve it.
Ask yourself how you'd feel, please. Then ask yourself why you'd do that to them. I warn you though, you might prepare yourself for some initial resistence. Mollie chewed a few of my pillows. Staying persistent though, has its own rewards. When your loved one stuck through hard times with you, they came through it caring for you more. You might just find out that the same thing happens to you.
The worst thing that could happen is, you spare yourself a few emotional bruises, and you gain a healthy friendship. Those are hard to come by.
--Laura
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
wild geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
--Mary Oliver
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
--Mary Oliver
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
the best places
Recently a few of my friends lost parents, and that thought crossed my mind today because today is my mom's birthday. So, as I usually note such momentous events with a blog entry, I thought about what to say.
Thing is, I find myself in an enviable position. Everything I might have said about my mother, I've already said to my mother. She's awesome. I tell people at work about my mom, and they have requested that I bring her for show and tell. When someone has a mysterious medical diagnosis, I call her from work for a consult. She babysits my dogs and they don't want me anymore.
Happy Birthday mom, and I hope it was great. I feel really lucky to find myself in one of the best places we could ever be - good friends.
--Laura
Thing is, I find myself in an enviable position. Everything I might have said about my mother, I've already said to my mother. She's awesome. I tell people at work about my mom, and they have requested that I bring her for show and tell. When someone has a mysterious medical diagnosis, I call her from work for a consult. She babysits my dogs and they don't want me anymore.
Happy Birthday mom, and I hope it was great. I feel really lucky to find myself in one of the best places we could ever be - good friends.
--Laura
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
the new year slowdown
Last Saturday I was at mass and noticed a member of our parish, a man who is also a volunteer with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, closing the food pantry closet. In his hands, a big bag of groceries. A single bag.
I volunteered some hours with the St. Vincent de Paul society when my work schedule allowed it. This group offers assistance to people in need all over the county - assistance with heating bills or groceries - and as a source of information about other available resources within the community. They do good work for people. So I know from experience that the rule of thumb is to provide a bag of groceries for each family member. The fact that he walked out with a single bag was telling. It means our pantry doesn't have it in stock to give, not like they have in the past.
I don't mention the SVdP to ask for a donation. You probably know a legitimate charity in your area. You may not find the idea of contributing to a faith-based charity appealing. But you know of something, and if you know, I urge you to give. Just this evening, I received an email from the head of the SVdP in Atlanta. Here's what it said, in part:
Last year we helped 179,927 of our Georgia neighbors. We provided over $1.2 million in food, clothing, furniture and cars to people without. We disbursed more than $5.72 million for rent, utilities, food, and medical expenses. 4141 volunteers gave 317,502 hours of their time. We did all this and more while maintaining our administrative expense ratio under 8%. Over 92% of your donations go directly to those in need! This time of the year is especially difficult for many due to the cold and the lack of seasonal work. And for us the donations that keep us doing what we must do tend to slow down as well.
I know quite a few of those volunteers. I'm proud of the work they do. I would remind you -- the needs of your neighbors continue in 2010. Find your outlet. Plug in. Remember those in need.
-- Laura
I volunteered some hours with the St. Vincent de Paul society when my work schedule allowed it. This group offers assistance to people in need all over the county - assistance with heating bills or groceries - and as a source of information about other available resources within the community. They do good work for people. So I know from experience that the rule of thumb is to provide a bag of groceries for each family member. The fact that he walked out with a single bag was telling. It means our pantry doesn't have it in stock to give, not like they have in the past.
I don't mention the SVdP to ask for a donation. You probably know a legitimate charity in your area. You may not find the idea of contributing to a faith-based charity appealing. But you know of something, and if you know, I urge you to give. Just this evening, I received an email from the head of the SVdP in Atlanta. Here's what it said, in part:
Last year we helped 179,927 of our Georgia neighbors. We provided over $1.2 million in food, clothing, furniture and cars to people without. We disbursed more than $5.72 million for rent, utilities, food, and medical expenses. 4141 volunteers gave 317,502 hours of their time. We did all this and more while maintaining our administrative expense ratio under 8%. Over 92% of your donations go directly to those in need! This time of the year is especially difficult for many due to the cold and the lack of seasonal work. And for us the donations that keep us doing what we must do tend to slow down as well.
I know quite a few of those volunteers. I'm proud of the work they do. I would remind you -- the needs of your neighbors continue in 2010. Find your outlet. Plug in. Remember those in need.
-- Laura
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
no child left inside
It's ironic that Facebook would alert me to a webcast about nature. A few days ago, the Chattahoochee Nature Center told me about a webcast from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. For those of you who don't know, Blank is the co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons. His foundation sponsors lectures, and this evening they sponsored Richard Louv, journalist and author of 7 books, including his latest, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder."
The link to it is here. While the talk wasn't highly structured, it was worthwhile and I recommend it. So what did this author and chairman of the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) have to say? Some of his talking points:
In the past 20 to 30 years, without most of us realizing what was happening, lifestyle changes have had detrimental effects on children. Obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder, impaired social skills are severely impacting them. There are physical, psycho-social implications to less time spent outdoors, and little free and unstructured time. And this is a problem, because free and unstructured time is the landscape where dwells independent, imaginative play.
Well-intended parents will drive kids to and from school, sports events, dance class, and social events. All of these activities can have value, but not in lieu of this free-ranging play. What is the result? Children's lives are structured, organized, and timed to the minute. However, children are smarter, cooperative, happier and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for free and unstructured play in the outdoors.
I haven't been blessed with children. But I find this topic fascinating. We make choices each day which move us in or out of balance. Readjustments are always needed. Pause. Take stock of your surroundings. Change course. But when we battle kids for homework, or struggle to get them reading, should we instead be struggling to get them growing vegetables, or turn off the television and walk through a park, because the walk is going to cure their future obesity, walking through the park is going to engage their imagination, and digging in the dirt is going to connect them to something bigger than their immediate surroundings, which might not be so great? Do we spend too much time trying to improve the grades, remove the fat from their diet and protect them from the world when we should be spending more time opening their imaginations and cultivating the creative juices they will need to face it?
Could be.
Thing is, Richard Louv spends a lot of time making the case for the benefits of a child connected to nature. But I think this shines the spotlight on the needs of adults as well. Because when it's cold, I would rather burrow into a comforter on the couch than dress for and brave the weather. Because in the south, the summer means humidity and I would rather excuse myself from any and all connections to nature. Because I chose my neighborhood because of its proximity to my job, and not because it had sidewalks (it didn't) or was within walking distance of a park (it wasn't) or local stores (it wasn't).
So while there may be a large population of parents out there casting a fearful eye toward their sedentary, computer-addicted, wii-engaged children who've never planted a seed in a cup to see it grow before, I find myself appraising my own lifestyle decisions, and I find myself coming up short.
I don't want to be the last child left inside. Not anymore.
--Laura
The link to it is here. While the talk wasn't highly structured, it was worthwhile and I recommend it. So what did this author and chairman of the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) have to say? Some of his talking points:
In the past 20 to 30 years, without most of us realizing what was happening, lifestyle changes have had detrimental effects on children. Obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder, impaired social skills are severely impacting them. There are physical, psycho-social implications to less time spent outdoors, and little free and unstructured time. And this is a problem, because free and unstructured time is the landscape where dwells independent, imaginative play.
Well-intended parents will drive kids to and from school, sports events, dance class, and social events. All of these activities can have value, but not in lieu of this free-ranging play. What is the result? Children's lives are structured, organized, and timed to the minute. However, children are smarter, cooperative, happier and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for free and unstructured play in the outdoors.
I haven't been blessed with children. But I find this topic fascinating. We make choices each day which move us in or out of balance. Readjustments are always needed. Pause. Take stock of your surroundings. Change course. But when we battle kids for homework, or struggle to get them reading, should we instead be struggling to get them growing vegetables, or turn off the television and walk through a park, because the walk is going to cure their future obesity, walking through the park is going to engage their imagination, and digging in the dirt is going to connect them to something bigger than their immediate surroundings, which might not be so great? Do we spend too much time trying to improve the grades, remove the fat from their diet and protect them from the world when we should be spending more time opening their imaginations and cultivating the creative juices they will need to face it?
Could be.
Thing is, Richard Louv spends a lot of time making the case for the benefits of a child connected to nature. But I think this shines the spotlight on the needs of adults as well. Because when it's cold, I would rather burrow into a comforter on the couch than dress for and brave the weather. Because in the south, the summer means humidity and I would rather excuse myself from any and all connections to nature. Because I chose my neighborhood because of its proximity to my job, and not because it had sidewalks (it didn't) or was within walking distance of a park (it wasn't) or local stores (it wasn't).
So while there may be a large population of parents out there casting a fearful eye toward their sedentary, computer-addicted, wii-engaged children who've never planted a seed in a cup to see it grow before, I find myself appraising my own lifestyle decisions, and I find myself coming up short.
I don't want to be the last child left inside. Not anymore.
--Laura
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
driving adventures in snow and ice
This Friday I had plans at the Cobb Energy Center - dinner and the ballet. Despite the snow, cabin fever said, "Go. It's just weather." And it was lovely. Good company. Lovely dinner (beef braciole, pinot noir, tuscan soup and an apple pastry with vanilla bean ice cream). Charming ballet (Cinderella). Back at the car, as the windshield melted, I spoke briefly to my mother, assuring her that all was well. The parking lot was slushy, but it did not feel cold enough to freeze. When I got to the interstate, it was dry.
That lasted for 15 minutes.
I was traveling on a 4 lane interstate in the 3rd lane from the left when I noticed the tail lights. I could see the 2 cars that had spun out and hit the concrete barrier. I slowed to a crawl, trying to tell if either of them were in my lane. They were definitely in the lane to my left. And so was the truck that barreled up on me from the left. And he didn't see the car in his way.
How this car didn't hit me or the stalled car, I have no idea. He swerved. I swerved and laid on my horn. When he cleared the car, he stopped in the middle of the road as I passed him, clearly shook up. This incident slowed the entire pack of us to a crawl. Several cars turned on their caution lights. I put at least 5 car lengths between me and other cars.
Soon I saw new brake lights. I took my foot off the accelerator, but they were coming up quickly, so I touched the brakes too, which is when I realized that I was on black ice. The next thing I knew, I was driving sideways.
I was one of three cars that slid on that patch of ice. I went to the right and they went to the left. During my spin, I stared at the concrete barrier I knew I was going to hit, and there was nothing I could do about it. Fortunately for me, my car and my insurance premiums, when Pearly Lee landed on the shoulder, the wheels gained enough traction to stop. I landed on the shoulder, 180 degrees from how I'd started, staring at oncoming traffic.
That's where I sat for... some time. My heart was beating in my throat, happy to have escaped the spin unscathed. I could not decide if I was going to wait on the HERO emergency truck or try to move again. That is, until I watched oncoming traffic, unaware that they were approaching black ice. If they hit that ice just right and began spinning, there would be nothing to stop them from spinning into me, and hitting me head on.
So I put the car in D, and inched my way backwards, using the shoulder where there was traction. I drove past where I thought the black ice was, waited for a break in the traffic, then turned back onto the road.
The other two cars that spun out when I did weren't so lucky. When I turned around, I realized that they'd both hit the center concrete barrier. One lost his tail lights, and the other lost his front bumper. They weren't hurt, because they weren't going that fast, but they would be filling out an insurance report real soon.
I made it home, but I went 15-20 miles an hour the rest of the way. And I did not care who thought I was being silly. I almost crashed Pearly Lee. I wasn't going to chance it. And I've never been so happy to see the entrance to my subdivision.
Happy driving. Be careful out there.
--Laura
That lasted for 15 minutes.
I was traveling on a 4 lane interstate in the 3rd lane from the left when I noticed the tail lights. I could see the 2 cars that had spun out and hit the concrete barrier. I slowed to a crawl, trying to tell if either of them were in my lane. They were definitely in the lane to my left. And so was the truck that barreled up on me from the left. And he didn't see the car in his way.
How this car didn't hit me or the stalled car, I have no idea. He swerved. I swerved and laid on my horn. When he cleared the car, he stopped in the middle of the road as I passed him, clearly shook up. This incident slowed the entire pack of us to a crawl. Several cars turned on their caution lights. I put at least 5 car lengths between me and other cars.
Soon I saw new brake lights. I took my foot off the accelerator, but they were coming up quickly, so I touched the brakes too, which is when I realized that I was on black ice. The next thing I knew, I was driving sideways.
I was one of three cars that slid on that patch of ice. I went to the right and they went to the left. During my spin, I stared at the concrete barrier I knew I was going to hit, and there was nothing I could do about it. Fortunately for me, my car and my insurance premiums, when Pearly Lee landed on the shoulder, the wheels gained enough traction to stop. I landed on the shoulder, 180 degrees from how I'd started, staring at oncoming traffic.
That's where I sat for... some time. My heart was beating in my throat, happy to have escaped the spin unscathed. I could not decide if I was going to wait on the HERO emergency truck or try to move again. That is, until I watched oncoming traffic, unaware that they were approaching black ice. If they hit that ice just right and began spinning, there would be nothing to stop them from spinning into me, and hitting me head on.
So I put the car in D, and inched my way backwards, using the shoulder where there was traction. I drove past where I thought the black ice was, waited for a break in the traffic, then turned back onto the road.
The other two cars that spun out when I did weren't so lucky. When I turned around, I realized that they'd both hit the center concrete barrier. One lost his tail lights, and the other lost his front bumper. They weren't hurt, because they weren't going that fast, but they would be filling out an insurance report real soon.
I made it home, but I went 15-20 miles an hour the rest of the way. And I did not care who thought I was being silly. I almost crashed Pearly Lee. I wasn't going to chance it. And I've never been so happy to see the entrance to my subdivision.
Happy driving. Be careful out there.
--Laura
Thursday, February 11, 2010
this weekend: great backyard bird count
So, the forecast this weekend is for snow to drift into Georgia Friday morning. The month of February is also significant because my mom's birthday is in February, and in days she and my dad will be traveling this way so we can celebrate her birthday together. But February is significant for another reason in a bird's life. Right now, with winter weather still in the forecast, it's just about a month before the spring migration begins. And that means it's time for the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 12-15.
I won't explain it all. But you can read more here. I encourage you to explore the site, because there's a lot there. There's lots of ways to participate, and you can devote as little or as much time to it as you wish. And I will share this quote from the site, about why this is done.
"Bird populations are constantly changing. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to keep track of the complicated patterns of movement of so many species over an entire continent. [...]
The information you send in can provide the first sign that individual species may be increasing or declining from year to year. It shows how a species’ range expands or shrinks over time. A big change, noted consistently over a period of years, is an indication that something is happening in the environment that is affecting the birds and that should be followed up on. GBBC information also allows us to look at what kinds of birds inhabit different areas, such as cities versus suburban.
All the information from the GBBC and other surveys goes into a massive bird database called the Avian Knowledge Network. AKN now holds 36 million records of bird observations which are used by scientists around the world."
All the information from the GBBC and other surveys goes into a massive bird database called the Avian Knowledge Network. AKN now holds 36 million records of bird observations which are used by scientists around the world."
At last. My chance to be a science geek. And you don't have to know a lot about birds either. If you have kids, go to the page set up just for them, with ideas and activities -- pictures to download and color, games to play -- all kinds of ways to engage them in looking for and counting the birds. If you're a photographer, pictures you take can be entered in a contest for interesting prizes.
And if you're like me, with a closeted desire to be a science geek, this can lead to a bird counting habit. Because if you find it interesting to be an ambassador for birds, you can count anytime during the year, recording your results with Ebird, or become a citizen scientist through projects with the National Audubon Society program, or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. So download the checklist for your area and get started. Happy counting!
--Laura
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
for your reading pleasure
It's been a very long time since I've cleansed my chi or rebalanced my chakra long enough to read a book. The internet has definitely altered my attention span. But you may be interested to know that there's a service out there, similar to netflix, for the book lover, called BooksFree. Just thought I'd pass the information along. I promote literacy, even if it's not my own.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
happy saint brigid's day
Most people mark St. Patrick's Day next month, but completely ignore today, which is St. Brigid's Day, which seems an oversight in my mind, as she's also one of Ireland's patron saints.
If you'd like to see Brigid of Kildare in art, you can go here. If you're interested, you can order this item. The artist, Patricia Banker, has also offered to donate a dollar in support of a website I also like, called Irish Culture and Customs. It's an interesting site with stories and recipes and all kinds of information on, well, Irish Culture and Customs. Just be sure to include the code word Irish when you order, so the nice people at Irish Culture and Customs will get the donation.
Anyway, back to St. Brigid. Truth be told, no one knows what's true about her and what's legend. I mean honestly, who's going to reconstruct the full and unvarnished truth when you're relying on the Irish to provide the narrative?
What has been more fully documented however, is that Brigid developed strong affinity for the teachings of St. Patrick. And guess what, St. Patrick was no dummy. Patrick understood a few things about Irish Celtic society. The first was that women held positions of prestige within the society, being able to both hold property and serve as founders of religious institutions. The advantages of reaching out to females then are obvious. Convert women, then watch christianity spread like wildfire -- as they marry and convert spouses and offspring, as they make financial gifts of their money and property to the church, and as they found religious orders which in turn recruit nuns and monks.
So, while Brigid pretty much led the life of a religious rock star in many regards, she fell squarely into this category. After she developed an appreciation for St. Patrick's message, she acquired the habit of distributing all her father's belongings to the poor, including a prized, jewel encrusted sword she gave to a leper. Not surpisingly, her father soon decided that her disposition was probably best suited to the convent. And that's where she came into her own. She's credited with founding convents in both County Offaly and in Kildare, which is the location she is best known for, sometime around 470. It was a co-ed institution and she was the Abbess with considerable power, legend even suggesting that an elderly bishop accidentaly consecrated her as a bishop during her blessing ceremony, something impossible to undo. Whether this is true or not, it stands that all the abbesses from Brigid on held the administrative authority equal to that of a Bishop until the Synod of Kells in 1152.
Impressed yet? Well, here's another wrinkle. There are actually two Brigids. The other was actually a pagan goddess. In her English translation of Irish myth, Lady Augusta Gregory (Gods and Fighting Men, 1904), describes Brigit as "a woman of poetry, and poets worshipped her, for her sway was very great and very noble. And she was a woman of healing along with that, and a woman of smith's work, and it was she first made the whistle for calling one to another through the night. And the one side of her face was ugly, but the other side was very comely. And the meaning of her name was Breo-saighit, a fiery arrow."
As it turns out, pagan Brigid is celebrated at the pagan festival of imbolc, which is today. St. Brigid's feast day is also today, marked on the christian calendar as 40 days after Christmas, which was when Jesus could be presented in the temple, because a woman needed that time to become "clean" again after childbirth, according to Mosaic law. Women needed to make holocaust at that time, through the presentation of a lamb and a dove. If the family was poor, two doves would do, which was the case with Mary. This detail was most likely given to suggest that Jesus himself was the lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world.
Again, not surprising that early christian leaders would use pagan Brigid as a surrogate Mary, on the spring feast, tying her to christian tradition in order to present St. Brigid, Mary and Jesus as a more fully illuminated truth.
So was St. Brigid all a lie? Was she constructed, in whole or in part, as a marketing technique? I don't know. To paraphrase Andrew M. Greeley, just because a story isn't true makes it no less interesting.
Welcome to spring. Happy Groundhog's Day.
-Laura
If you'd like to see Brigid of Kildare in art, you can go here. If you're interested, you can order this item. The artist, Patricia Banker, has also offered to donate a dollar in support of a website I also like, called Irish Culture and Customs. It's an interesting site with stories and recipes and all kinds of information on, well, Irish Culture and Customs. Just be sure to include the code word Irish when you order, so the nice people at Irish Culture and Customs will get the donation.
Anyway, back to St. Brigid. Truth be told, no one knows what's true about her and what's legend. I mean honestly, who's going to reconstruct the full and unvarnished truth when you're relying on the Irish to provide the narrative?
What has been more fully documented however, is that Brigid developed strong affinity for the teachings of St. Patrick. And guess what, St. Patrick was no dummy. Patrick understood a few things about Irish Celtic society. The first was that women held positions of prestige within the society, being able to both hold property and serve as founders of religious institutions. The advantages of reaching out to females then are obvious. Convert women, then watch christianity spread like wildfire -- as they marry and convert spouses and offspring, as they make financial gifts of their money and property to the church, and as they found religious orders which in turn recruit nuns and monks.
So, while Brigid pretty much led the life of a religious rock star in many regards, she fell squarely into this category. After she developed an appreciation for St. Patrick's message, she acquired the habit of distributing all her father's belongings to the poor, including a prized, jewel encrusted sword she gave to a leper. Not surpisingly, her father soon decided that her disposition was probably best suited to the convent. And that's where she came into her own. She's credited with founding convents in both County Offaly and in Kildare, which is the location she is best known for, sometime around 470. It was a co-ed institution and she was the Abbess with considerable power, legend even suggesting that an elderly bishop accidentaly consecrated her as a bishop during her blessing ceremony, something impossible to undo. Whether this is true or not, it stands that all the abbesses from Brigid on held the administrative authority equal to that of a Bishop until the Synod of Kells in 1152.
Impressed yet? Well, here's another wrinkle. There are actually two Brigids. The other was actually a pagan goddess. In her English translation of Irish myth, Lady Augusta Gregory (Gods and Fighting Men, 1904), describes Brigit as "a woman of poetry, and poets worshipped her, for her sway was very great and very noble. And she was a woman of healing along with that, and a woman of smith's work, and it was she first made the whistle for calling one to another through the night. And the one side of her face was ugly, but the other side was very comely. And the meaning of her name was Breo-saighit, a fiery arrow."
As it turns out, pagan Brigid is celebrated at the pagan festival of imbolc, which is today. St. Brigid's feast day is also today, marked on the christian calendar as 40 days after Christmas, which was when Jesus could be presented in the temple, because a woman needed that time to become "clean" again after childbirth, according to Mosaic law. Women needed to make holocaust at that time, through the presentation of a lamb and a dove. If the family was poor, two doves would do, which was the case with Mary. This detail was most likely given to suggest that Jesus himself was the lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world.
Again, not surprising that early christian leaders would use pagan Brigid as a surrogate Mary, on the spring feast, tying her to christian tradition in order to present St. Brigid, Mary and Jesus as a more fully illuminated truth.
So was St. Brigid all a lie? Was she constructed, in whole or in part, as a marketing technique? I don't know. To paraphrase Andrew M. Greeley, just because a story isn't true makes it no less interesting.
Welcome to spring. Happy Groundhog's Day.
-Laura
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