Federal holidays and working from home

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Today is Labor Day. My husband is home from work today, glad to be sleeping in and lounging around in his "dad shorts." Across the nation people are going to parades, having barbecues with friends and family, and taking advantage of furniture sales.

In the days leading up to today, I debated how I'd spend my Labor Day. On one hand, it's a federal holiday, and it would be nice to have the day off to spend with the family. On the other hand, having Hubby home to watch the kids would mean I could get a lot accomplished in the office.

It's a common dilemma for the work-at-home mom. Having your husband home an extra day makes it very tempting to get caught up (or ahead) in work. But you don't want to be one of those moms who's always working. After all, isn't one of the reasons you work at home to spend more time with the family?

Of course, depending on your industry it may be easier to take federal holidays off. If you work from home because you telecommute for a company and that company is closed for the day, chances are you aren't going to work. On the other hand, if you work in, say, phone sales, working on federal holidays might be a good idea.

Only you know if working on federal holidays is a good option for you or not. However, it's important to remember that if you do, you should make time here and there to not work. Everyone needs time off to recharge and get away from the office, even if it's only briefly. Don't let yourself get burnt out because you're trying to maximize your time.

Ultimately, I decided to split the difference and work in the morning, then spend the afternoon and evening with the family. (I know. Everything in moderation, eh?)

Are you working today? Why or why not?

Are You a Martha or a Mary?

There is a parable in the Bible about Martha and Mary, and what happened when Christ visited the sisters. You can read the story in the Scriptures here, but this is the basics of what happened.

Christ visited Martha and Mary. Martha, playing the role of hostess, worked to make the Lord comfortable and ensure he had everything he needed.

Meanwhile, Mary sat with Christ, letting Martha work, and chatted with him. Martha, irritated at being left all the work while Mary had a great conversation with the Lord they both loved, "tattles" on Mary. Martha asks the Lord, "Doesn't it bother you that I'm doing all the work without the help of my sister? Then ask her to help me."

Jesus responds, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

When I first heard this story in Sunday school years ago, I was a little confused at Jesus' response to Martha. Was he making her do the serving on her own because she tattled? Or maybe he liked Mary better?

This story is used as an example of priorities. Martha took on the traditional role of a woman in this culture by serving. Mary, on the other hand, set aside cultural norms to sit at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus tells Martha that Mary has "chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Mary chose to put Christ first, and that is what is praised in this story. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. explains Mary's choice well when he says:

Mary thought that the supreme compliment that she could pay to her divine guest, even more than world-class refreshments, was to give him her full attention. [Jesus] had come to her home to nourish, enlighten, and transform her. Not to receive and unwrap this wonderful gift would be an insult to the giver.

Martha, on the other hand, allowed herself to get distracted by all she thought needed to get done in the name of hospitality. That's what happens a lot in today's society. In this "instant gratification" world, we get distracted by what we think we need to do--catch the daily news, email everyone who has emailed us, blog every day--and lose sight of what's really important.

Are you a Martha or a Mary?