A close friend of mine has at times referred to me as a confused German because my heritage is Germanic, but I wear the kilt, and for some time she may have been right.

This past weekend my wife and I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Houston Highland Games Association's Robert Burns Supper. While not our first Burns supper, it was the first large supper we were privileged enough to go to. We saw old friends we hadn't seen in quite some time, ate haggis, and had an enjoyable evening out. I was even asked to be one of the sword bearers when it came time to pipe in the haggis, an honor I wasn't expecting.

This got me thinking today, how the kilt has effected my life. I have zero Scottish blood in my vains, but I wear the kilt proudly and joyfully. If not for the kilt I would never had experienced the highland games, never been married in a Prince Charlie, and necer realized my love of the bagpipes, listening not playing.

If the kilt never entered my life I would never have known about Robert Burns and the beautiful words he crafted in his songs and poems, and this last weekend never would have happened.

Being a member of the Clan MacLeod Society I have attached myself to a Clan that I can call family and wear their tartan, and I have made lasting friendships through them.

Even though I found a clan to call home I still had my own heritage to be proud of, and wanted to be able to represent it. So imagine my delight when I found the German American tartan on USA kilt's website, unfortunately when I got to the point of being able to afford one that tartan had been discontinued. Heart broken I started for another German tartan, and to my delight USA kilts had another tartan for me the German Heritage tartan, it was soon mine.

Having been a member of the Brotherhood of the Kilt for some years and trying ane failing more than once to get a BotK kilt when I saw a chance to help get that tartan back into production, I had to take it. It took a few years for all the behind the scenes stuff to shake out, but we finally have a place to get these kilts again, and I believe ALL BotK members should get one of these affordable kilts, find them at got-kilt.com.

It is these two kilts that I wear most proudly. The German Heritage because it represents everything that I am, a man of German descent that wears the kilt.
The Brotherhood because I had a small hand in it being back in production, but also because what the brotherhood stands for, promoting the kilt for ALL no matter where you come from, what your background, tall or short, skinny or rotund, man or woman the kilt is for us all.

Life is much more interesting when you wear a kilt, strangers want to talk to you, you find a confidence that wasn't there before, and a whole other world is opened to you.
I am no longer a confused kraut, I know exactly who I am, I am the Kilted Texan and I have German Blood and a Celtic soul.
I encourage any of you that love the kilt but haven't yet put one on and stepped out of your front door and gone into the world, do it, and do it proudly you will never regret it