Kathleen: The Celtic Knot

Miracles

The next morning, Kathleen is scared to open her eyes. The nine days are up, and she made an enormous promise. Surely God can’t fail to answer her prayer. But when she opens her eyes, Kathleen sees there’s no sign of a dancing costume. How can that be? Can Sister Eucharia be right? Is God angry for her asking for such a trivial thing? Maybe it’s more serious than that. Maybe God doesn’t want Kathleen to be a nun. Maybe she’s not worthy.

And worst of all, the feis is in three weeks, and Kathleen still doesn’t have a costume. When Kathleen trudges into the kitchen for breakfast, her mother looks up at her. She tells Kathleen that she heard that Kathleen was picked for the feis, and she was never told anything about it. Mam is beaming. Kathleen isn’t sure how to react, but she chances a smile. Mam doesn’t wait for her to say anything, but says that she’ll need a dancing costume for the feis. They get all dolled up in those Gaelic League clothes, those Irish dancers with harps and shamrocks and goodness knows what. They’ll have to make sure Kathleen is as well-dressed as the rest of them.

Kathleen’s heart rises. Mam is in. She doesn’t seem worried about the expense at all. Kathleen should have told Mam in the first place and saved herself from the row with old Sister Eucharia and all the worry. Mam says that she’ll go to Frawley’s this morning to see if they have remnants for the costume. Kathleen stands on a chair while Mam looks her over and takes measure of her with her eyes. Six yards should do it. Kathleen says the shawl on the back is called the brat, and the skirt will have to be full with pleats. If Mam cuts it carefully, she might get away with just six yards.

Kathleen is beaming, delighted with how things are turning out. It’s like a true miracle. This is God’s way of answering her prayers. Kathleen should have realized that God wasn’t going to send a beautiful costume out of nowhere by magic. That only happens in stories. This was God’s way of getting her a costume.

The only issue is that now Kathleen is going to have to be a nun when she grows up. Maybe she should have held her fire and just told Mam about her problems in the first place. Then she wouldn’t have needed a miracle. Kathleen probably signed away her life for nothing. But anyhow this is no time to be worrying about that. It’s time to be planning her costume.