The Leprechauns’ Late Visit

by Troy Foster

Every year, the leprechauns make an appearance at the Foster house.  Of course, they are so sneaky that no one ever sees them.  And they are quite mischievous.  But there can be no mistaking that they have been there, as they leave quite a mess.

This year was no different.  Well, with one exception.  They made their trek, and turbulent tracks behind, three days after St. Patrick’s Day.  And the kids were frustrated.  With each day that passed and there was no sign of the little ones, it became more unnerving.  All of them believed that they had to wear green at night – so they wouldn’t get pinched.  As they ran low on pajamas with green in them, the tardiness was taking its toll on them. 

Then, they got it.  “These leprechauns are so naughty that they will come when we least expect it,” our oldest said with a glimmer in his eye.  His face exuded confidence, hope, excitement, and anticipation.  And he explained, rather convincingly, his theory to the other kids.  They were all in agreement; the fun had not passed them by – nothing would deprive them of their St. Patrick’s Day magic.

Truth be told, Kristen and I had a long week.  In and out of the hospital, back and forth to Cincinnati, working being busier than normal – all left little time for us to prepare our house for the leprechauns’ arrival.  And, as the day came and went, I found myself justifying how it wouldn’t be so bad if the little crazy green guys just came next year and didn’t bother with us this time around. 

The justifying ended when we saw that sparkle in the kids’ eyes.  We were not going to let the business of life delay a magical moment, a memory that would be lost forever.

This morning, the kids came running into our room.  “They came, they came.  And they were crazy,” our two oldest exclaimed.  Boy, were they right.  As I walked out of our bedroom, each of the steps leading to their rooms had gold (plastic) coins on them.  They shined about as magnificently as the kids’ smiles.  As I turned to look toward the living room, it was everywhere.  The most voluminous amounts of the tiniest confetti that I’d ever seen.  There were miniature pots of gold, shamrocks, silver stars, gold coins.  It covered the floor, and made a pathway to the kitchen – where giant shamrocks hung from all of the cupboards.  And, where we later discovered, the leprechauns had placed stickers in the refrigerator.

But we were soon to discover the biggest trick of their 2012 visit.  The kids noticed – almost at the same time as I did.  My once full beard was gone – well, at least on half of my face.  On the other half, it remained.  “They shaved part of your beard, Daddy,” Luke squealed, laughing and jumping up and down.  All of the kids laughed so hard and so long, I thought we were going to need to get out the breathing machine and inhalers.  The fun continued until they left for school, but I imagine we’ll talk about it more tonight.

And probably for years to come.  Even though I know that we’ll be vacuuming up that confetti for a solid year (it is super tiny), it was well worth it.  We have another memory – another fond moment where we laughed together.  I’m so glad that the leprechauns decided to come after all!

We hope that you seize your leprechauns and other memory-creating moments every chance you get.

For other heartwarming stories and lessons from Henry’s Hope, please get Three Candles.  It’s a great read, and proceeds will help sick children.  www.threecandlesbook.com or on Amazon!  (19/20 Five Star Reviews!  And 1 4-Star.)