What a week

Click on picture to see a larger image. This has been one crazy week. My last post I said that I was coming out from under a heavy load. I guess I was wrong. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, but it was an illusion that it was close. My projects heated up in a huge way with two clients asking for accelerated deadlines - yikes! I think it will be better soon though. I may get next weekend for myself. It has to get better sometime soon -- we have a baby due in 2 months! My daughter turned 10 this week. I am noticing that I am getting older. She won't be a little girl much longer. I need to find more time to enjoy it. It goes too fast! That is her in the picture above. She is a delight, but I'd like her to stop now. Our kids our not ours, they belong to God. We get them for such a short time before they are on there own. I want the time to last. These 10 years have flown. School started this week. This is good AND bad. Good that they get to learn, and Lynn and I get a little quiet time. But one of the huge advantages to working at home is that I get to see them and Lynn so much - even when I am swamped. We get to have lunch and dinner together. We also went to daily mass and had daily rosary together. Try that working 14 hours a day at a corporate gig. Now I get dinner and rosary. Since they are in Catholic school, they go to weekday mass once each week. So I get to see them there - but it is not quite the same. A couple of people at daily mass noticed the kids gone. Mike likes to sing loud, and his voice is missing. The dog is depressed with them gone all day. Peaches and I will miss them together. I really do hope to have more posted soon. As soon as my load lightens, I have a few things to share. You are all in my prayers. Tags:Work, family

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Click on picture to see a larger image. Work has been wild crazy. I have not dropped off the map, but I feel like I am in a different world. Work has been intense, and I spent Labor Day weekend laboring. I am still not finished with my current projects (maybe Sep 25th-ish), but I think I can get my weekends back (I lost the past few). I do owe a response to the well articulated comment from Jerry Grasso, one of my friends in ATL. It will come Jerry. In the mean time I wanted to put in a post letting people know I am still alive. In fact, I did take a few hours to celebrate my 38th birthday with my family on Sunday. I got what I wanted as well (and hadn't expected). My mom went to the Charismatic Convention in Anaheim - she got me a beautiful image of the Agony in the Garden, a picture of the Pope, and a couple of John Michael Talbot CDs. My sisters, brother, and dad went in together to get me the Liturgy of the Hours and a daily missal. The kids got me cologne (which I was running out of). We also took a quick drive to the beach today to stick our toes in the water,take some pictures and having dinner at an Irish pub (one of the pictures will be up this week). Beyond that, it has been all work. I am thinking of those of you who have commented - and keeping you in my prayers, and ask the same. This has been the most intense patch I have had in a couple years. I know I'll make it through, but it has been rough. I hope to have another post in a couple days.

Work and Choices

Click on picture to see a larger image. I haven't posted in nearly a week. It has been pretty intense lately. I work for myself. I left my corporate job about a year and a half ago, and am glad I did. I missed So Cal. Turns out I'd rather be conservative in a blue state than liberal in a red state - but I'll save that for another blog. In addition to missing the left coast (I was in Atlanta), I was burned out. Corporate culture can impact you if you are trying to climb the ladder. I was and it did. I was talking with friends this weekend. We were celebrating my upcoming birthday (we use birthdays as an excuse for enjoying good company, good food, and good wine). The topic turned to values and current culture. Looking back, I see that I fell into a value trap. I valued money, recognition and prestige. I got them. But the more I got, the less happy I was. I also found that there was never enough - I kept pouring more money in, but the bucket kept getting bigger too. I found that recognition is fleeting, and satisfies for only a moment. When I was late in my college career, I wanted to be a marriage and family counselor, but got into a research PhD program. You see, I thought a PhD is more prestigious than a master's degree, I told myself - and the program invited me to apply, it fed right into my ego. I then was going to be a professor. I was all set, too. I knew the right people and was positioned for a career in personality psychology. But I ended up "selling out" for the money. I actually got the chance to do some side teaching at UCLA. I loved it, but by that time I was addicted to the revenue from my full time job, and couldn't go back. In the end, a PhD is no better than someone without one. A VP at a company is no better than someone who is not. And having things does not satisfy like I thought it would when I had not. What has satisfied? My marriage. My friends. My faith. Doing for others. I see God's hand in my corporate journey. I have learned. And God has used me for His ends. At each place I have been, I have been ideally positioned to help someone or some group for the better, at school, at work or in my community. THAT satisfies! But I wish I had taken the direct route to helping others, and not done it "on the side." I am working rather hard right now (this month in particular, but the larger "now" as well). I am trying to get off the treadmill. It helps to remember that goal when I start to feel overwhelmed. I need to shrink my bucket so that I can make a switch. To do this, I am in the odd position of actually having to work even harder. But now I have a goal to end the cycle. In the long run, I hope to get retrained as a marriage and family counselor. I think that was my calling - I wish I had listened sooner. Oh, the picture is of Pismo Beach. I have been working so hard, that I thought it appropriate. Man, I wish I was there! Tags:Work, Values

St. Joseph Prayer for Work

Click on picture to see a larger image. I am still feeling overwhelmed with all I have to do right now, but I am sure I can get through it. I have a couple thoughts I want to post on, but wish I had more time. They will get out eventually. In the meantime I thought I would post a prayer to St. Joseph for work. I found this at www.rc.net/marquette/carmelite/glorious_st__joseph.htm Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations; to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honor to employ and develop, by means of labor, the gifts received from God, without recoiling before weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch St, Joseph. Such shall be my watchword in life and death. Amen. Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Prayer, Work, Saint Joseph