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Goodbye, Vacation

Well, tonight ends our Christmas vacation. I'll be setting in the alarm clock in a few hours, getting the kids school clothes laid out, and trying to psyche myself up for a return to the beginning of another crazy semester. Oh, yippee.

I must admit, though I dread the first few weeks of each semester, I'm grateful to have a job. My mom's husband (he's not my dad, if you were curious) was laid off from his job last Thursday. The company is "down-sizing" and he's one of several casualties. I can't imagine how anxious this must make them. Mom doesn't work outside the home and their only source of income will now be the money they receive to house and feed four of the state's wards. Please say a prayer that something beneficial comes their way soon.

Jobs are such funny things. Most people dread getting out of bed and trudging off to a place where they feel unappreciated and overworked. Thoughts of all the wonderful things they could be doing instead of working tempt and tease them as they toil through the work day waiting for the clock to tick its way toward quitting time. I know I say I'd be a full-time writer if I didn't have to put in 9 hours a day at the University. The truth is I could be a full-time writer now. I could set my alarm not to rush off to the city but to turn on the computer and sit my butt down in this chair to begin a full day's worth of work right here. There's a reason I don't though. I need money and, as much as I want to be published, writing doesn't pay a single bill right now. The University pays several and I wouldn't be the only one panicking if I suddenly lost my steady paycheck and the benefits that come with my position.

The hubby would likely have a stroke.

So, while I'm sad to say goodbye to my vacation, I'm glad I've got a job to go to tomorrow. So many don't.




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