Apr 4

Apr 4 Cocktail Friday: Big Ginger

I never tire of visiting Minnesota. Maybe everyone feels that way about their home state. When we moved to Japan I felt like the missing would never cease. As it turns out, I was right. Four years in Tokyo followed by nearly 2 in Colorado and I still miss it. What I realize more and more every time is that leaving my home state means leaving my family, which gets harder each time. Instead of being sad about it, I am focusing on the fact that I have a family and a childhood home that are hard to leave.

When we moved into our house in Denver, my parents came to visit. My dad brought us a bottle of 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey, which is made at a distillery in Ireland. (It was only distributed in Minnesota in the beginning, though now it is available nationwide.) We lit a fire in our chiminea and stood outside, the hum of the nearby freeway ringing through the night sky, and toasted to our new home with a round of Big Gingers and an Irish blessing.

Our house has been good to us. I think the symbolic act of the toast, our glasses making the familiar tinkling sound as each rim met another rim, helped start us off on the right foot. I'm thankful for our small, cozy home. I'm thankful for family. And I hope I can create a childhood home for our son that makes him want to return, no matter how long the journey.

TGIF and cheers to you my friends!

Bless This House

Bless this house, o Lord, we pray.

Make it safe by night and day.

Bless these walls so firm and stout,

Keeping want and trouble out.

Bless the roof and chimney tall,

Let thy peace lie over all.

Bless the doors that they may prove,

Ever open to joy and love.

Bless the windows shining bright,

Letting in God's heavenly light.