My Grandma, the Grand Marshal

Mar 13

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FROM MY READING CORNER | 3/13/26

My Grandma, the Grand Marshal

Thoughts from my reading corner:

As some of you may have seen on my social media, my grandma was elected Grand Marshal of her town’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. This was a very unexpected nomination, and although she was extremely excited about it, it was slightly nerve-racking as well. The parade is tomorrow, and almost everyone in my family will be in attendance. We have matching Flynn family crest shirts, and we can’t wait to really celebrate our Irish heritage with her. With that said, I thought it might be fun to share a little insight into what we came up with, since I helped her with her speech. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and may the luck of the Irish be with you always.

Grandma Patty’s Speech:

Thank you all for coming. I feel honored to be the Grand Marshal of this year's St. Patrick's Day parade, but a bit undeserving, since I'm only Irish by marriage. My late husband, John Flynn, was 100% Irish. His mother's family, the Morans, came from County Cork. His father's side, the Flynns, hail from County Mayo. I was fortunate enough to visit the Emerald Isle this past summer, and oh, how John would have loved it. As my granddaughter and I looked out over the sea on our first morning after arriving, we witnessed a double rainbow. As if to remind me that his Irish eyes were shining down on us.

I'm honored to be considered for this parade, and I hope I've done the Flynn name proud over the years. Atchison is an amazing community; it has always been and always will be a huge part of my life and story. John used to listen to his old Irish records, including the song "Galway Bay," every year on St. Patrick's Day. So, before we go out and celebrate like only the Irish know how to do, I'd like to honor John's memory, his family, and mine, by leaving you with the last lyrics from the song he loved so much:

And if there's going to be a life hereafter

And faith I'm sure there's going to be

I will ask my God to let me make my Heaven

In that dear land across the Irish Sea

Thank you all so very much, and have a happy St. Patrick's Day.

-Patty Flynn

Share joy, spread kindness, and as always, happy reading.

As we head into next week, I will be enjoying spring break with the kiddos, so there will not be a new blog post.

-Katie Marie