Slán agus beannacht leat, Mrs. Biden

[SoxFan]

Jean Biden died today at 92. Here's how her son Joe described her a few years ago.

Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden is the soul, spirit, and essence of what it means to be an Irish American.

She is spiritual. She is romantic. She honors tradition, and understands the thickest of all substances is blood, and the greatest of all virtues is love.

She has taught her children, all her children in my neighborhood who flocked to her hearth, that you are
defined by your sense of honor and you are redeemed by your loyalty.

She is quintessentially Irish -- a combination of pragmatism and optimism.

She also understands as my friend Pat Moynihan once said, there is no "point in being Irish if you don't know that the world is going to break your heart eventually."

But she is more. She measures success in how quickly you get up after you have been knocked down.

She believes bravery lives in every heart, and her expectation is that it will be summoned. Failure at some point in everyone's life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.

As long as you are alive you have an obligation to strive. And you are not dead until you've seen God's face.

Slán agus beannacht leat, Mrs. Biden.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Safe passage to you, Mrs. Biden...

Thank you for those beautiful and meaningful words, my dear SoxFan...

:cry:

:hug:

[JuniperLea]

2. Goodbye and may blessings be with you, Dear Lady

May you find family and friends to greet you smiling on the long lane home...

[gateley]

10. That's beautiful. nt

[jillan]

3. What does that mean? And what language is that?

I saw you posted that in another thread...you've peeked my curiosity.

[sabrina 1]

5. It is Irish (Gaelic) it means

'Goodbye and may blessings go with you' (roughly translated)

[gateley]

8. That's lovely. nt

[jillan]

9. That's perfect!

[Barack_America]

6. It's Gaelic.

I believe that phrase basically translates into what we would mean when we say, "safe passage".

Unfortunately, I only picked up curses from my Irish grandmother. ;)

[hfojvt]

7. thanks for that

otherwise I thought it was about "slain angus be a night light" or something.

[SoxFan]

4. In lieu of flowers...

Valerie Biden Owens (Joe's sister) has asked that donations be made to Ministry of Caring, an ecumenical organization serving Wilmington's poor and homeless, or to the Naomi Biden Minority Scholarship Fund at Archmere Academy, the vice president's high school alma mater.

http://www.ministryofcaring.org

http://www.archmereacademy.com/default.aspx?tabid=104

[KT2000]

11. To her family:

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace to you.

from a Gaelic blessing

[KT2000]

12. To her family:

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace to you.

from a Gaelic blessing

[roguevalley]

13. she goes in beauty. Beauty goes before her. RIP, sweet lady. You

must be so proud.

[KittyWampus]

14. She lived to she her son become Vice President of the United States.

[JNelson6563]

15. Perfect!

Beautiful post, many thanks.