Penguins on the roof

It's official, I have finished my first semester of graduate school. And I must say, everything that happened was as expected and normal as penguins on the roof of my neighbors house. That's what keeps life interesting, eh? Well, I guess I did expect to learn a lot of math, which I did. And I met lots of new people. I've created a new home, which I love. I have spent a lot of time by the waterfalls. I have seen the stars at night, played in the snow, enjoyed sunny "warm" days like today (when it's 52 degrees outside and absolutely wonderful). And faithful to my blog, I have learned more about life and love. The different ways we express love to each other and the role it takes in our lives. And for that, I am very grateful. I feel God's love every day that I am here. It's a constant comfort that nothing can take away. And I feel completely blessed for that. Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going, but I know that God will shed a little light on my path as I need it, and I will follow as best I can. I've learned to this point that very little in life is what you think it will be, and means such different things than we first imagine.
Last night, I hosted my first Feast in my new apartment, and I think my first Feast in my own home. And it was such a lovely thing, being able to welcome people into my home. To welcome them for our nineteen day gathering for spirituality, unity, community life, and the elevation of our souls, the uniting of our minds, and a time to share in joy and fellowship. I loved having people here. I'm so grateful that my mom instilled into me the love for offering hospitality. She is a truly amazing hostess and loves to welcome people into her home. And I hope to be able to do that myself.
I have these amazing flowers on my desk, that I bought for Feast last night. For some reason, I really wanted to have flowers. I'm not usually a big enthusiast for having flowers around the house, but for some reason I felt like it would be good to have. And now I get to enjoy them. Last night and this morning as I was desperately trying to finish my topology take home, I could just look up and feel reassured and refreshed.
It's so nice to be able to sit and not worry about the next problem set due, or the next homework assignment to grade, etc. I have a whole 6 weeks off. Which seems so long, but at the same time so short. I do enjoy this part of being a student :).