Time Well Spent

The other day, I mentioned on facebook about a little fun my daughter's been having with me.  She came up to me - all dressed fancy in a button-down shirt, skirt and heels - and said, "Mama, I am going to be a newsletter editor and make zippo money."

Impromptu laundry line

Now, for those of you who don't know it, I am a newsletter editor, and I don't make very much money doing it.  It wasn't the first time my daughter has made the joke, either; in fact, she does it fairly frequently.  I mentioned on facebook that I found it unnerving, though that was truly in jest - I think it's really funny that she can make a mockery of my lamentations, and I know that she can do it because she knows that I don't do anything for money.  I do everything I do because I want to; because I believe it's the right thing to do.  If I get paid for it, that's just a bonus.  Besides, my good friend and fellow writer, Howard Hinterthuer, made this comment about it:

Work done in a spirit of service to others is akin to worship.  Time is the new currency.  Time is limited and precious.  Money comes and goes.  You are investing in your children, making certain they are launched to the stars.  The most precious gift you can give them is your time.  They may not know it now, but they will know it forever.  

Let me tell you, as I'm sure every mother reading this already knows, these are words every mother needs to hear, so I wanted to pass them on to you.  Take the time to do what you really want to do; what you truly believe in.  Even if it's not all time spent with your children (and it shouldn't be), you are setting the right example.  You may not find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but you'll be happy - and that's worth more than gold any day.