I am not completely finished with this story yet, but I have an hour tomorrow afternoon that I know I will be able to finsih it in a flash! This is a nice little change in our readings lately, especially during midterms. Opal is the sweetest little girl to me! But my heart goes out to her for her family situation. It is sweet and sad that she is still hoping so hard for her mom to come back to her. I just want to cry for her because I know that her mom won't be coming back. She talks to her through prayer in the story, which I would do if wanting to speak to a realative who has passed away. Who in the world would want to leave a little girl like Opal behind!? She is so unique and fun! But I do understand the pressure as a preacher's wife, even though I still think she should have taken Opal with her. I also feel so bad for Opal because her dad is not very open and lovng with her. He responds better to Winn Dixie than to Opal! That hurts my feelings for her, even though she does not seem to notice. I hate that Opal does not feel close enough to her own father to be able to call him "Dad". She feels like he is her preacher more than anything. Every child deserves a great parent to feel close to! I sure am glad, though, that she has Winn Dixie and her friends to be close to!