ST. PATRICK'S DAY ~ WITH A TWIST!

The Ladies and the Daughters of Charity celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a sing-a-long of Irish classics, Irish goodies and, of course, Bailey's Irish Creme. Dore Schmidt led everyone in song while sweet treats were passed along. Many thanks to Chris for providing all of the lyrics on the television screen.

So what was the twist? Elizabeth Condon, a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Army started the afternoon with anecdotes of her 30 years in the military. Everyone was enthralled. From silly stories (receiving spinach seeds . . . to grow in the desert when she was in Iraq) to serious ones (her time in New York City on the day of the September 11 attacks), she had us laughing one minute and crying the next.

The correspondence Liz received.

Liz connected with us on so many levels, but particularly by showing all of the cards and letters she received from strangers over the course of her career.

She strongly encouraged the Sisters to continue sending the greeting cards to the troops during the holiday season emphasizing how important it is to the soldiers who are far away from home. Liz's enthusiasm in receiving the cards has inspired the Sisters to schedule a time in May for more card writing. Keep your eye out for the date.

While we could have listened to Liz all day, the time did come for her to end. Her story, however, will remain with us for a long time. Thank you Liz!