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Showing posts from January, 2011

cost.

On Sunday our pastor read from 2 Samuel, in which Araunah says to God, "I would not make an offering that cost me nothing."  The story shed light on the true meaning of any kind of gift - someone gives up something for the sake of another.  This is why the idea of re-gifting has such shameful connotations in our society.  It's not that you didn't appreciate what was given to you, but that you've sacrificed nothing in order to give a gift.  It's easy, convenient, and superficial - if anyone can do it for free, it means very little. My husband loves Henry David Thoreau, and we have adopted one of his adages as a guiding principle: "The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."  The most important and valuable choices can cost a great deal of life, and the trick is knowing which ones are worth it. A cost I willingly absorb is the cost of keeping in touch - really keeping in touch - with extended family and far-away friends.  I a...

work.

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I did it. After three months of getting up, saying goodbye to my husband in the morning and spending the day at home on my computer, I have finally gotten myself a job. I realize that a job shouldn't seem like such a big deal - after all, I've been earning enough money as a freelance writer, editor, and online instructor to pay my share of our monthly bills and student loans. But I spent a good part of each day wondering where my next "hello" would come from, counting on one hand the number of physical people I interacted with, and trying to control my excitement when my husband came home and I could engage in a real conversation. The people at the farmer's market, grocery store, and post office were excellent for a quick fix of person-to-person contact, and my good friend with a newborn baby was a reliable source of company (admittedly, we spent most of our time together in her living room, watching Ellen and Oprah while I worked on my computer). But all o...