When a Three Leaf Brings All the Luck
“If I didn’t know what date it was, I’d think it was Christmas Eve,” were the exact words Brad spoke to me as he carried two boxes into the living room from our closet. He was helping me as I set up the living room in all the green, gold, and rainbows I could find, preparing our house for my favorite fun-day of the year: St. Patrick’s Day! To be fair, they were boxes that were coming the kids way anyways…I just held onto them to make this day a little more magical. They got to open their new Kiwi Crates, and we’re giving Magic Spoon a shot because it’s sugar free!
Because Saint Patrick’s Day normally falls during the week of Spring Break, Brad and I have both experienced our share of fun times on the day (including quite a few ski trips for both of us), but I really started to go all out when we were first dating. Our first St Pat’s was 2 days after we had gotten engaged, and we just happened to be in New York City with his family. We walked right out to the NYC parade at one point, and it was MAGICAL!! In the following years, we would spend the day together on the beaches of Cozumel, back in New York City, and on the island of St. Thomas - all while traveling with his family. The 17th also just happens to be the day before Brad’s favorite day of the year…his birthday - so we just celebrate big for 48 hours! We are looking forward to similar spring break memories with our kids as they get older, but for now…we enjoy all the green at home!
The real fun truly started once we added our babes to the mix! Bryleigh’s first year, she was exactly 2 months old, and I’m fairly sure she had at least 5 outfits that she wore throughout the week, covered in shamrocks and all the green! The following year, we started to add treats and crafts, and ended the day with a green bath. By 2017, we added Will to the shenanigans, and then Carson joined the fun in 2020! I look forward to the day and making fun memories with the kids for weeks leading up to the day.
In honor of Saint Patrick’s day and all things 4 leaf clovers, I wanted to share a little about those tiny shamrocks that we all look for to find some luck. Have you ever heard the reason a four leaf clover is considered lucky? In your usual three leaf clover, the leaves stand for faith, hope, and love, so if you happen to find one with a fourth leaf…that’s where the luck comes in!! I can’t help but think of the three little leaves I have in my home:
Bryleigh - Our Bryleigh Girl gave us FAITH! After a long season of waiting, and hoping, and praying, we finally got our precious miracle. We experienced the dark days of infertility, and we often wondered if the Lord would ever add to our family with biological children. We stood on the promises of God and His goodness, which built our faith in Him in ways we never imagined. Then we finally saw “YES” on a test, after so many ones that said “NO” and our faith in Him just continued to grow. That faith has grown every day since as He has carried us through all of Bryleigh’s days, and we pray that it will grow her faith in the Lord as well.
Will - Our Will Man taught us to put our HOPE in the Lord alone after experiencing a devastating loss and a second season of infertility. Our desire was for Bryleigh to be a big sister, and we were so sad to miscarry our second babe, but we leaned into our faith in the Lord and learned to put our hope in Him alone and not another pregnancy or anything else that this world would offer. We continued to put our hope in the Lord as Will tried to come early at 31 weeks and I ended up on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. All of our plans and preparation were put on hold, and our faith and hope in the Lord continued to grow.
Carson - Our sweetest C has taught us to love, and to do so unconditionally. The Lord asked us to have this precious boy with a, “Do you trust me?” that He continues to ask me to this day. There have been surprises every single step of the way, and we know that God has not made one single mistake in any of those moments. He has a plan and a purpose for Carson’s life and we are so thankful that we get to love him each and everyday and that we are learning to love others unconditionally along the way.
All together, that sounds pretty LUCKY to me…but I’d call it more of a blessing, straight from the Lord Himself! What about you? Where is there evidence in your life of the faith, hope, and love that God has blessed you with?
