Easter Tidings .

Alleluia He is risen, He is risen indeed! For those more secular folk out there, that's the main concept behind this whole Easter shindig. This morning I dragged myself out of bed around 6am (after hitting snooze 4 or 5 times I might add) and got dressed quickly to get myself to 7am mass. It was early, earlier than usual (they were fitting in four services instead of the usual three) but it was nice to get up and at 'em early. While I've been in college, I've never done anything really spectacular with the Easter holiday, mainly because it never seems to align with our Spring Break. I'm okay with that though, as long as I remind myself the real reason behind the joy.

However, I think even more important is the fact that we remember all the people that have to continue with their daily lives, and can't spend the holiday with their families. I went out with a friend for dinner tonight to just have a chat about life and talk about graduation and some other things. We went to Waffle House, a southern staple that prides itself on being open 24 hours, 7 days a week, even on holidays. And so when we walked in, we were only two of four in the entire restaurant, minus the staff. And while I'm sure they get paid time and a half to work, I still feel for them that they don't have a hiatus, they don't have reprieve from the monotony of their daily job.

That being said, as you finish up your Easter holiday, send up a prayer for those that can't spend time with their families today, for those who have to fight paycheck to paycheck to keep going, and for those who just can't afford to time for leisure or a break from their job. It isn't fair, and yet they approach it with such grace. Our server today was still so pleasant, kind, and really took care of us. It's all about the little things sometimes.

Here's to hoping you all had a great holiday, whether you celebrate or not.

ash wednesday .

I was trying to think an appropriate and profound way to approach the mood of the day, and couldn't find one. However, while messing around on my laptop, I came across an article about Ash Wednesday on AOL news and ended up following a link to a poem called Ash Wednesday by T.S. Eliot. While I consider myself somewhat of a mediocre writer, I think that he can say it better than I ever could. Don't forget; no meat today and make sure you have something for your Lenten fast! Enjoy the poem:

purifying during lent .

This morning at mass the priest talked a little bit about the upcoming season of Lent... I feel like a bad Catholic because, honest to God, I completely forgot about it... I just hadn't realized that it was coming up so fast already, but I suppose that makes sense since Easter is in April. Boy, how the semester is flying! Anyways, the priest simplified Lent to one simple statement: to purify ourselves.