“When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man, and the road away from Here seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must first find in himself a good and sufficient reason for going. This to the practical bum is not difficult. He has a built in garden of reasons to choose from.”
John Steinbeck

Those who know me well will recognize that I have been remarkably settled since my marriage. I doubt I had previously gone a whole year without some major journey since leaving high-school freed me from most practical restraints. Though marriage has somewhat calmed my restless feet and directed my wandering mind, it cannot cure me. My husband has proposed a drive down south to visit his sister this spring, which sounds lovely, and along with our May visit to moja rodzina, an excellent, though temporary remedy for my restlessness. Our May trip is especially exciting to me, as moja rodzina is scattered at the moment, and we will all be together again at this visit – from Europe, Nevada, and Michigan.

This month we have an abundance of feast days to distract from the day to day Lenten atmosphere. It is good of the Church to break the fast with these joyful bursts in March, with, though not as ugly as February, is still a season of dirty snow, mud, and early nights. St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s feast days are so close, and I am always reminded of how neglected poor St. Joseph is as I watch the crowds gather to celebrate St. Patrick. On the 25th of March we have the Feast of the Annunciation, which is the largest Lenten feast, and which my husband and I are eager to make the most of. These feast days we relish because they are days when the Church demands we forget the rigors of Lent for a little while and rejoice in the grace and goodness of the Lord. The American Church often forgets this, perhaps because we have neglected Lent itself to such an extent that there is no fast to break in our celebration of these feasts. Where there is no fasting, there can be no feasting, the two must go hand in hand.