Just a Train of Thought.

Today was a rare day in that both my children napped at the same time. I used that time to prep dinner and make a marinade for the fish tonight. As I minced the garlic and ginger, smells from the sesame oil and soy sauce wafted over. Waiting for their compadres to join them. Garlic, ginger, and soy sauce are such staples in Asian cooking. I call them the holy trinity. Toss in something spicy like siracha or red pepper flakes and it's a winner. But anyway, I really enjoyed just mincing and prepping in the stillness of the kitchen and it occurred to me that I don't mind this home stuff at all-- it's just that I need to slow down and enjoy it.

Another thought I had today was how I wish all professions were paid the same. Yesterday I enrolled my son in the summer reading library program. They had three stations for us to sign up. The middle-school volunteers were so eager to explain the rules and how it worked to us. It was pretty funny because it's not rocket science or anything, but I let them talk. It was more because I could see how the responsibility weighed on them. To them, this was an important task and it's always good to respect what means a lot to people.  It also made me remember when I was a middle school-er and was volunteering at the library doing the exact same thing. It was what everyone else in my class was doing and we thought it'd make us look good for high school, then college applications. Seems silly now, but it was a good experience in responsibility and helping younger children.

At the library, they told us they were backed up with checking materials back in and I thought, "I wouldn't mind doing it." I love systematic things. I love functionality, organization, and putting things in order. When I was in 3rd grade, I wrote in my English essay about wanting to be a librarian and it's nice to know I still would. From grade school to college, I loved hanging out with the books. I'd spend all day in bookstores or libraries just reading. Alas, I miss you Borders! Maybe I'll volunteer there again when I'm older. Also it makes me happy to see my son start to love reading and I hope to cultivate that in our daughter as well.

Tangents. That's how my brain works.

But back to my point of all professions being paid the same. I think sometimes what holds people back from doing what they really want to do is the money because we need to make livings. If a teacher got paid the same as a professional athlete as the president as the garbage man, would they still choose that profession? Some things I'd love to do-- work in a flower shop and learn how to put bouquets together (and learn the names of all flowers), bake goodies in a bakery and get flour all over myself in the process, be a secretary and check out those beautiful staples while color coding things. What would you do if every profession was paid the same?

In the Valley.

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, 
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, 
where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; 
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. 

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, 
that to be low is to be high, 
that the broken heart is the healed heart, 
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, 
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, 
that to have nothing is to possess all, 
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, 
that to give is to receive, 
that the valley is the place of vision. 

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, 
and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; 
let me find Thy light in my darkness, 
Thy life in my death, 
Thy joy in my sorrow, 
Thy grace in my sin, 
Thy riches in my poverty, 
Thy glory in my valley.