Features - Work

I'm fond of working at home. For one, there's no dress code. And my co-workers are tremendous. Sure, they're catty (they're felines, after all), but they're supportive in their own furry way. Yes, all in all, working from home is a perfect fit for me.

Except for one thing: loneliness. The aforementioned co-workers are pleasant enough, but talking to them makes me feel like I'm going out of my mind. With no one else to discuss ideas with, my creativity sometimes suffers. And it sure would be nice to share a convivial lunch with someone who speaks Human.

That's why it's important for me to belong to on-line writing groups and professional organizations. I also get feedback from writers who I work with virtually. It gives me a sense of community. Hearing from them, I feel blessed and renewed. Whether you're an at-home mom or a freelancer like me, find a way to connect to other adults on a daily basis. God made us social animals for a reason.

-Lori Strawn

Monday Climbing Mountains

Monday...most dreaded day.
It is a day for beginnings—
and beginnings are hard.

I crane my neck to survey the day.
The sheer face of it looks insurmountable.
Take my hand and guide me over this Monday.
Teach me not to fear it,
but to embrace its possibilities.

Show me that Monday
is an opportunity for change, reinvention.
Will You help me take a fresh approach,
a bold, new step in a different direction?

Thank You for the challenge,
and for Your hand to hold as I set out on
the untracked path of a new week.

Let me sing Your praise
with my voice:
speaking kind words,
calming tense situations,
refusing to tear another down.
Let me sing Your praise
in my heart.

- Lori Strawn

"HOW WOULD YOU BEAT THE LONELINESS OF WORKING AT HOME?"