A few days ago a good friend stopped by as she was walking her dog. We chatted because it had been awhile since we had caught up with each other. Eventually, as dinner time approached, we invited her to stay. Dinner was very nice, leisurely, and long. Near the end I started getting antsy since I realized I had a lot of housework to do that I had postponed to spend time with our friend. I’m sure I did the right thing but my “Martha side” started feeling impatient. For me, giving away time is often harder than giving away things.

I thought of this as I corralled our son to transport some old cement blocks for use in a raised vegetable garden at his school. It took both our time, cars, and his strength to do this good deed – the cement blocks were secondary. The cement blocks don’t make a pretty picture but it’s easier than taking a photo of time. The six of them plus a dinner and time were my give-aways this week.