Paying for it.

I think I've written before about how much I enjoy it when I'm reading a mystery, or just pulp, novel and I find a quotation or an idea that reaches out of the genre to speak to the reader. Sometimes it happens in little ways. In Black House Stephen King and Peter Straub spend a lot of time referencing and even mirroring passages of Bleak House. I think it's great because a whole bunch of folks who would never think of reading Bleak House will go and pick it up and check it out because it was in a novel they liked. Well, I like to think that happens.

In the novel I'm currently listening to, one character goes on a long diatribe about the quotation, "Take what you want and pay for it, says God." In the book it's supposed to be some sort of Spanish proverb, but who knows.

To me it is interesting to think about life that way, not just the material things. Of course we all pay a high price for the material 'things' we have, but what if you thought of everything in this way. What is the price we pay for love, friendship, family? Too often, I think we feel owed these elements. It doesn't occur to us that there is a consequence for every relationship. We just hope that the price will not come due, nor be too high.

Here's the most important part of this idea...we do not get to decide the price. The price is set before we ever see what's in the window. Because we don't often associate love, friendship, and family with a value/price, I think we tend to take them all for granted. So, I guess my goal, it not to give anything up, but to really accept what I have...consequences and all.

Lent

I'm not catholic, but I have friends who are...and, I have a Virgin Mary medallion from some chapel in France. It should have been something I thought of earlier, but I need to think about what I want to give up for Lent. I never try very hard, or succeed, but I thought this year it might be good to be mindful of my life for a month or so. I don't know maybe the near death experience is just getting to me. Suggestions?

Creating Habits..

I'm not promising intellectual substance, but in an effort to get back in the habit, I will at least provide pictures.

It's been gray and rainy here for about four days. My tolerance for this kind of weather isn't what it once was. The good part is that in spite of the lackluster weather, spring is definitely here. Here are some photos to prove it.

This is a view of the tree from the backyard. Since we moved here in July, I'd never seen it bloom before. It is stunning to say the least.







My view of that tree from my desk. When you walk into my office all you can see out the window is white.







Here is a close up of the flowers on the tree.

I'm not exactly sure why I have this urge to take pictures of everything, but I've been toting my camera around more often lately.





Oh, here's one last sign of spring. I'm sure as home owners we should not be encouraging this activity, but I like it. I cant' wait to see what happens. I don't know what kind it is, but I'm assuming this is a male building a nest to attract a female. It's all I can do to keep from checking for eggs.