Good evening! This is my first blog post as part of a group of bloggers who gather weekly to share their best posts with one another in a series called Sunday Snippets. The idea is to give a brief overview of the week on your blog with summaries of key blog posts, as well as answering the Question of the Week.

Let me start by saying today was a terrible day of weather here in Indiana and our neighbors in Illinois. Please keep those affected by the tornadoes and storms in your prayers as there was a lot of damage in so many places in our state. I live near Indianapolis in Zionsville and we were lucky enough to have the storm systems go on either side of us and stay in the clear.

I was scheduled as a reader tonight for mass right in the middle of all the chaos, and as a Catholic newbie, I wondered if mass would be cancelled or if it’s ever even cancelled. Since I didn’t receive any emails or phone calls, I decided to head on over. I found an entire church full of people just as if nothing was going on. As I sat in mass with a view out a window just behind the Blessed Sacrament, I watched the trees and a flag wave furiously while everything inside was calm. It made me realize how Jesus is just that for us. He gives us peace and calm when all else in our lives is chaos and that’s why everyone was at mass :).

Now, to answer the question of the week: What religious artifacts (statues, pictures, icons, altars, etc) would I find in your home if I stopped in for a visit?

Since I’m new to Catholicism, you’ll find a small but growing collection in my house. I have built a small altar area where I have a crucifix, a lovely image of Mary I found at Good Will of all places (so glad I saved her!), a rose candle for St. Therese (my confirmation saint), an angel statue for my mother-in-law who passed a year ago, a statue of Mary and St. Benedict, a rosary and various prayer cards for my favorite saints. I cherish my little area :).

My blog round-up for the week:

This week I shared how I made the Switch to Christian Radio and challenged others to do so, too. Do you listen to Christian radio? I also discussed how I am doing in checking off No. 1 on “God’s Bucket List,” the new book by “Catholic Connection” radio show hos Teresa Tomeo. The book asks you to put down your own bucket list and consider what God might have in store for you instead. No. 1 on her list? Be still. How are you at being still?

Next week I plan to review “The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage”  by Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J., one of the best around at explaining the Catholic church simply and clearly!