So what do you do all day when you don't have a job?

Good question. It's nice for about a week and then you get bored and antsy. Though I would never wish being unemployed on anyone, the experience has given me an empathy for those who are or have been in similar situations that I would have never been able to completely understand unless I'd been through it myself. First of all, I feel guilty for not having a job yet and for being at home all day not earning money, and worried at the bills etc. It's an interesting feeling, especially since just 2 1/2 months ago I was so busy that I never had a free moment for anything. It would be nice if I could relax, but that's not my style. I always have to be working on some useful project.

So in an effort to contribute, given the circumstances, each day when I pick up Jeff from school I give him the run-down of the tasks I have tackled that particular day. (I hear this is common of women who stay at home with the children). Poor guy. I talk his ear off, and he is so overwhelmed by having too much to do with work, school, church etc. that we're kind of on opposite ends of the spectrum. I jabber on and on because I have been alone all day and need to hear my own voice. For example, "Today I sent my resume to X and X, sent a followup email and called X and X, made a breakthrough with this family line, talked to the insurance company about the car wreck, updated the budget, put air in the tires, made dinner, wrote a letter to my friend X, cleaned out the microwave, vacuumed, folded the laundry etc. etc." It's truly ridiculous. I try very hard to stay positive. I think everyone feels a need to contribute and do something they enjoy--that's why being unemployed is such a hard thing for people. So I'm grateful for the perspective I've gained through this experience.

To further keep myself busy I've been volunteering transcribing old Baptist Missionary Society letters/journals from India for the Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives in Tennessee. It's very interesting, but slow going. Here's an example of a page I transcribed this morning.



Also, something that's been kind of fun is that one of Jeff's distant relatives in Indiana has given all his family documents and photos to me because he has no one to leave them to when he dies. He sent me this cute little Bible from 1881 that belonged to his grandfather. It made me think of my friend, Danna Richards, who collects old Bibles as a hobby.