The Big Canoe house suits me very well but there are a few things I miss about the Tampa house, like my library but Keith’s office here has a wall of shelves. We have books, photos, and other items that hold special memories for us on the shelves.

The middle shelf below is the McLaughlin shelf – celebrating my family and Irish heritage.

And these are my grandparents, Patrick McLaughlin and MaryAnne Wallace who emigrated from Ireland in 1922 (at different times and on different ships) and entered the US through Ellis Island. They met here and married in Philadelphia in 1927.

I embrace my Irishness year around but St Patrick’s Day holds special meaning to me and I always think of my Dad today and still miss him so much. He was named Patrick too after his father.