To top off my weeks of travel, I headed off to spend Easter with my family.

Favorite Quote {stolen from the Dead, natch} was my friend F., who while out on Friday, refused a dinner invitation with my family for the following night because he had to get up by 9AM the next day for his family's Easter celebration. "Partygirl, I *can't* come over for dinner." "Why not," I asked. "It's just dinner!," I said. "Because dinner for me is a 9-mile skid on a 10-mile ride," he said.

I irritated my father by frequently asking, "Hey, this is the holiday when the Easter Bunny dies for our sins and then is resurrected to give us chocolate, right?"

That's a personal favorite of mine.

Our house was a revolving door of friends not celebrating with their families and instead, coming over for various meals and cocktails with my family. This is an optimal situation for my parents who adore all young people and great because my brother I get to hang out with our friends and our friends get home cooked meals.

I got a chance to buy some small gifts for my family which I gave them for Easter and made me feel really good for a change, to be doing something for them.

Something else that's been lifting my spirits is something that happened on the last leg of my road trip.

While standing outside of the Philly train station, I was smoking a cigarette and watched a young college aged man offer his arm to help and ancient woman across the street. I thought he was her grandson until he dropped her in front of me and hurried off.

She looked at me, with fire in her eyes and said, "Well, he must have been in a hurry!" And I said, "Well, I was just thinking that's not a bad way to travel - on the arm of handsome young man!"

She laughed and said, "Yes, he was nice but in a hurry."

She had two bags, one a messenger-type bag weighing down her tiny shoulder and another a large pocketbook on her miniature forearm.

She asked me if I would move the strap of the messenger bag up as far is it would go because it kept slipping down off of her childlike shoulders. I fixed it and asked her if she wanted to wear it diagonally so it wouldn't slip and she said "No, that would mess up my hat!" and smiled at me.

I laughed and said, ok, but was concerned that she would be able to make it with so much to carry.

She asked my name and told me hers. I told her it was nice to meet her.

She said, very simply, "Don't worry, if it slips again I can ask someone to help me. The world is filled with nice people. I just met one." And she smiled up at me.

"Awwwww," I said, and thanked her. And then as quickly as she was there, she was gone.

Total Highway To Heaven moment.

Anyway, I keep thinking about that wisp of a woman. Her life can't be easy. Managing by herself, struggling with frail bones. But she was out and about, surviving and believing that the world is filled with good people.

That's some good stuff. That's makes my People of the Year list.

OOoooooh - that's good. Next Entry, my People of the Year list.

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