As I sit here, smelling the aroma of corned beef and cabbage and listening to Irish music on my Amazon Alexa. I can’t help but to smile at the irony of it all.

Born half-black and half-white. Here I stand, in all my glory.

Tan and afro-curly headed. Graced with a Sir Mix a Lot butt and a full nose. Yet, completely trained and adamant, that we have corned beef and cabbage for dinner.

 That is the power of culture.

I was raised by a white Irish and French-Canadian “lass”, who always wore her green and made corned beef on St. Patty’s day.  I spent my weekends with an African-American father, and eventually had a Cape Verdian Step-Dad, and Polish American Step-mom.

I can’t tell you how crazy, comical, and charismatic my upbringing was.

I remember my Irish grandfather teaching me how to count from 1-10 in Gaelic. My French Grandmother, telling me how she hates the Irish. My African-American great-grandfather telling me how he was not served at a diner in the 50’s, even while he wore his Army uniform.

It boggles me every time I think on it.

The very things that make us unique and beautiful, are the very things that divide us.

I went on to marry a Puerto Rican man. As you can imagine, I have very mixed kids.

Our first, popped out of the womb looking Irish as ever.  Red headed, blue-eyed, and freckle faced.  Our two middle children, are dark-skinned and “Boricua” to the bone, and our 4^th child, who is adopted, is the ultimate Anglo gringo (Irish, French, Italian, & Scottish).

Last month, my kids and I studied black history, today, we are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and next week, I will be eating authentic rice & beans in old San Juan, Puerto Rico with my husband.

With all this cultural variety, I have come to learn that we are really all the same.  We live, we love, we laugh, we cry, we eat, we pray, we hope, we die.

Lets celebrate what makes us Unique.

Ultimately, we all want to see our loved ones again. Extravagantly brilliant in color and texture.  A varied tapestry, on display for eternity.

^{I Corinthians 9:19-23}

¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.