Luck and Faith
Luck: “Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember it didn’t work for the rabbit.” ~R.E. Shay
Faith: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Growing up in a religious home, I heard much more about having Faith, and not much about Luck. Did I believe in Luck? To be honest I was always curious and enjoyed hearing about folklore, Luck and superstitions, but I didn’t believe it.
My parents were not superstitious nor believed in Luck. However, I did hear my mother share stories about her brothers and some of her relatives who were superstitious about certain things. For example, I remember my uncle told my sister, who had a wort on her hand, that if she rubbed a penny over it and threw the penny over her shoulder, the wort would go away. She did what he asked, and eventually, the wort went away. It was fun to do, and there was no harm. Would it have gone away regardless? You decide.
In every culture, you will find folklore and superstitions, and there is a great deal of similarity in them across different cultures. Common ones like, if you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad Luck. Or, don’t open an umbrella in your house or it will bring you bad Luck. Or cross your fingers to bring good Luck when you want a wish to come true. Or numbers like the number 13, the unlucky number. Don’t go under a ladder; it will bring you bad Luck. Wishbones, which I used to save when I young, I remember having fun asking someone to help hold the wishbone and to make a wish. Whoever got the larger side of the wishbone, their wish would come true. When you sneeze, how often did you hear someone say, “bless you.”
It’s March, and we see lots of “green decor” in stores to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th. Having the opportunity to visit Ireland with my husband and daughter, I have a new appreciation for Ireland’s folklore and the “Luck of the Irish.”
Here is a website that describes some of them. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/11-irish-superstitions-people-still-believe/
Luck and Faith contain elements of the mysterious. But no matter how old I become, I keep learning new things about Faith. Not everything works out my way, even with having Faith, but I believe in a higher power, called the divine. It takes Faith to believe, and for me, it’s comforting to know there is a higher power at work in our lives (yours and mine) every day.
What comes to your mind when you think of Luck and Faith?
