Even though I'm not extremely religious (my friend Diana put it well the other night when she said that she "was spiritual") I love churches. The architecture...the glow they have about them (that could be my imagination :) ). They are so strong and sturdy- the new and the old.

I went to an EXTREMELY religious college, in a town that boasted of its 36 churches and 3 bars. I still appreciated the mysterious beauty of the houses of worship.

While I studied in Chicago, I was overwhelmed by the stunning mosques and temples that I was so unfamiliar with. But I still felt that draw to them.

Now in Fayetteville, I sometimes make it a point on Sundays to drive downtown and see the churches. The small crosses on the steeples reach high up into the sky, begging for the sunlight to touch them. It's comforting.