My New Blog

I heard a song on the radio this morning that hit home with me, "Paved Paradise" where some lyrics say, "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone."   Oh, how true in this stagnant economy where everyday news of unemployment gets us down.  There is so little money to go around these days and what we do have buys much less.

The "money factor" seems to be enveloped around every area of our lives.  Think of our sense of self-identity and self-respect; think of where we live and with what things we surround ourselves; where we go, how we travel, or with whom we associate - the money factor is lodged in there somewhere.

Money is the raw material from which we build our lives, but it doesn't have to consume or control it.  Most people long for "serenity now" and assume that you can get it by having a comma in your checking account balance.  But this comma requires an expenditure of more time, creative energy, and emotion, with less time for family, personal pursuits, spiritual growth, rest, and recreation.  More work, more pay, more stress! 

Since business has been so slow these days, I have found a re-newed interest in and more  time for reading books, taking classes, enjoying small day trips, taking long walks, spending time with my two little dogs, more time with my granddaughter, more time with my husband . . . . . . all of the things we take for granted when our lives are so busy and our focus is on money.  I do have much less money and income, but I have learned to do without the movies, the dinners out, the shopping trips, the expensive vacations, and the things that seemed to be so important in the "money factor."  I have had everything I ever needed all along.   But it took a lack of money to make me realize how lucky and blessed I really am!