Jim arrived in Canada in March and we were married on the 17th by MP Mike O'Kane. Acceptance of us here in Ireland has been tremendous- the same people who threw the ordination party for Jim 18 years ago welcomed us as a married couple with a party in our pub. The only critical voice has been from the pastor who actually publicly denounced us as a "local scandal". Sadly it means that we cannot join in Sunday worship with the people we live among even though the church is only two doors down the street.

Business in the pub is very good- everyone coming to "gawk" at Jimmy's Canadian wife. I tell them I'm from Canada not Mars. We haven't had much time to think of ourselves as a MP couple with both of us grieving our losses- Jim of his previous life in ministry and me of my family. They are still distant with a few contacts from some of my siblings.

I'd like to tell you a funny story. Since we work in the pub, when we take a night out we have joined the leisure centre in Tullamore so we can swim and work out. One night while I was in the sauna there were four other men in there too. The conversation among them got a bit racy, and one of them said to me "I hope you are not offended." "Not at all " I said, "I work in a pub and I'm learning to get a thick skin."
"What pub? Here in Tullamore?"
"No, a pub a few miles away in Cadamstown."
"Cadamstown? That's the pub that yer man, the priest, came back to run."
"That's right- he's my husband."
With that, all four guys eyed me in my bathing suit from head to foot.
"But I've been in that pub- you can't be the barmaid" one lad said incredulously.
"Well" I said, "We all look a bit different with our clothes off."
We all laughed, and all four claimed that they should have listened to their mothers and become priests themselves. Mile gra agus siochain "With much love and peace"