Feast of the Epiphany...

Today is one of my favorite feasts in the liturgical calendar. I have a patron saint book that markets itself as being a guide to selecting a saint name for your baby. In the 'Tiffany' entry, the author makes the case that my extremely modern name is a form of Ephiphania, and thus today is my patron feast day :) I'll take it. The three Wise Men following the star to find the infant Jesus...this is a good feast. Last year, Mike and I went to Mass together here in Florida on the Epiphany at a parish near the restaurant we went to for dinner. We walked into the church to spot a giant star alit behind the altar. When the priest began his homily, he looked up at it, and said:

"When I came into the church this morning I was afraid I was having a vision. You *do* see this star too, don't you?"

This morning I headed out to Mass with my mother-in-law. I was going to bring Henry with us, but he slept in and I didn't have the heart to wake him. It was 8 am Mass, and since it was "cold" out (below 40 degrees :) the church was less full than usual. Mass was lovely, as it was on Friday. I'm not used to this phenomenon of the church music ministry leaders having the congregation practice the response to the psalm prior to the liturgy beginning. Must be a southern thing.

I'm enjoying our trip very much, but I'm very much looking forward to returning to my everyday life. Last night I had a dream that I had to be a last minute fill-in for a bellydance solo, and I was all excited about it. I miss my regular activities, like bellydance, a LOT. We're returning on Wednesday, and though I'm cherishing our visit and the relaxation time I get here, I'm enthused about my return to the north.

Tomorrow, we're headed to Disney World, and I have mixed feelings about this. I know Hank will *love* it, and that will make it worthwhile. On the other hand, whenever I think of the Disney resort, the word 'exploitation' comes to mind every single time. Everything costs a fortune there, and you're pretty much at their mercy. But we do it for the kids, right? Pray for me :)

Oh! In good news, the chill has taken the edge off the moisture in the air and my hair has returned to some sense of normalcy. This is a good thing.

I shall report in post-Disney...