Gratitude for unemployment

And no, not just because I'll be sending less tax money to the government in the process, although that's certainly an itty-bitty part of it. (see Lori Borgman's column today if you want politics here today)

But really, I'm grateful for a lot of things. Time with the family. More involvement with homeschooling. Getting more people familiar with fine sewing, along with my wife. Making a few bookshelves for our home. Getting a good garden going.

More time to serve the church in helping others and mowing. Cooking some new things (my job search would be different if being a chef paid better at beginning levels). Learning a bit of Latin and Logic (long time goals, really). Learning how much our family can reduce its budget--and learning that it's really not that painful. Getting myself, and the family, in a little bit better shape. Helping my extended family get their businesses running--and learning about the possibilities for myself as well.

That is, though, coming to an end soon. I've accepted a new job down in Waseca, which looks like a very good opportunity. Even if it turns out not to be so, it's income in an era where most of those in the District of Columbia seem to be doing their best to follow every mistake made by Hoover and Roosevelt--the mistakes that created and sustained the Great Depression. I'll at least be trying to follow what my grandfather did to do pretty well by himself at that time.

And so I'm grateful. I hope you are, too.