Best Winter Day Ever

Once upon a time, in the middle of the Midwestern winter, the people were blessed with a beautiful sunny 60 degree day. The warmth was like magic, lifting people’s spirits and bringing them out of their hibernation spots. The people knew the warmth would not last long, so they took advantage of every last glorious moment. This is how my little family spent that day.

First, we went to one of my favorite places: The Seminary. It was one of the first Catholic Seminaries built this side of the Mississippi River. The church, an old European cathedral style, still holds one Mass per weekend. The Seminary no longer trains students but serves as a retirement home for Catholic priests. The grounds are pure serenity.

The church:

On the way to the walking/running path, we passed by the cemetery. This is where the priests are buried (I’ve always found it a bit ironic that the windows of the retirement home look out over the cemetery). I love walking through here and looking at the tombstones. I like to imagine all of the stories they could tell.

On the path (those are the kiddos). Image how beautiful this is in the spring and summer when the trees are green and everything is blooming. I actually ran a little… just a little since my back can’t take a lot.

At the Grotto, about halfway through the path.

After completing our walk around the Seminary grounds, we went to the lake. There is something so medicinal about standing on the waterfront, breeze blowing your hair and sunshine warming your face. There were people fishing, boating and riding ATV’s. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn that some time warp had picked us up and tossed us into spring.

In the woods by the lake there is a shooting range where Caitlin shot her bow and arrow. She’s getting pretty good. We also walked on the trails and the girls looked for sticks and rocks. My girls are country girls! On the way home, we took bets on whether there would be anyone golfing on the golf course. There were several.

This day was truly a gift from the heavens. A cold front is supposed to move in and we will get some severe storms in the next couple of days. February is predicted to be snowy. Today none of that mattered. Today was a promise of what awaits on the other side of winter.