There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.

~Jane Austen

I am home and I have 2 months until Graduation Day. WOW! I survived Midterms and I am grateful I still have some sanity left. The drive home this afternoon was spectacular. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. As soon as I crossed the Iowa line there were bits of snow here and there, it made me laugh since the Kansas snow has long melted. How happy I am to be home right now--I've missed it. Today I went to Church with my grandparents and my great-aunt and uncle. Normally I walk out of Mass when I am home and am shaking my head about something, but for once, I actually enjoyed the Mass. We belong to the parish that our family was raised in. My grandma went to school there, was married there, they sent their kids there, and I went there as well. We all have received our sacraments in that Church, so it's a special place in our family. We, however, have gotten a new Priest and to say the least he and I do not see eye to eye (I will spare you the details). Today, however, there was a sight in Church that allowed me to forget about the man standing on the altar preaching about himself. (Smile--no hostility or anything--haha). A little girl was sitting in front of me and craddled in her arms was her baby doll wrapped in a blanket. I could not help but watch her through most of Mass. She was so delicate and so careful with her 'baby.' She made sure it was snuggly wrapped in its blanket, she rocked it, and patted it gently. It was obvious that she really loved this baby. It just made me smile and warmed my heart. The innocence in that little girl was a gift and the obvious joy she had was abundant. I love to see children at Church. I believe that a lot of the time they have more of the answers to important questions than adults do. They do not overanalyze and they are free in giving their faith and trust. The sight of the little girl with her doll was a reminder of God's goodness and of the little gifts we are given everyday. It was a reminder of what is really important; delicately craddling, caring, and loving one another, as a small child would her 'baby.' I'll be honest when I say I have no idea what Father said in the homily today, but I walked out of Church with a smile in my heart and an overwhelming feeling of God's grace. The grace of innocence and unconditional love that He gives children is wonderful and, now and then, even in Mass, we need to remind ourselves of the gifts children can give to us. Maybe God gave me His own homily today, since he knew I would not pay attention to this priest! (Smile) God is good.

My night ended with 8 family members and me enjoying a fine Italian feast at one of our favorite local Italian bistros. I am sure the other diners were happy to see us leave as our laughter was quite loud. You never know what will be said when you have a family of Italians at a table (even in public.) I love it!

I just finished my last midterm--a take home test that is due on Monday. It has been completed and e-mailed to the professor. I am officially on Spring Break. I will be home until Wednesday and then I am off to NYC with Catharine and Joan for some Big Apple F-U-N! Tonight we "spring forward" and lose an hour---I will mourn the loss of that hour for quite some time---why can't we just leave time alone?!?!

Picture: A bit of land off I-35 today as I was heading home. The nice weather & snow on the ground made for some fun scenery!