So much to give by Betty O’Brien
This is the third in a series of excerpts from an unpublished manuscript, So Much to Give, written by the late Betty O’Brien. Betty was a member of CUSA when it was still very new in the United States. Every preparation for our trip abroad stood out like the anniversaries we were to celebrate in 1956. (The year),1956, meant my brother was a priest ten years, my mother was in America fifty years, and she and Daddy were married forty years. Jokingly, I often told friends that these happy occasions were our reasons for going overseas. Several wanted to know if I had an anniversary too. I would always reply, “Why, no; my life is just beginning!” Since early childhood, my heart had often walked the hills of Kerry when Mom told about her early days there. But the dream of visiting her homeland had not become a plan until several little miracles made it possible that the four of us could go together. My father’s fear of asking for a leave of absence faded as soon as he did so. The boss not only promised to keep his position open; he also showed joy that we were to have such a vacation. To me, it could not have been otherwise. Dad had obtained his present work while making a novena to Saint Joseph during unemployment in 1948. And because the green light to travel to Ireland really came from the way the piggy bank seemed to fill itself after we decided to make this adventure ours, our tickets were bought without any worry.
Winter | 2021-2022
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