Busy Hands, Light Heart

From the Norse Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Wolf Pack, Reunion:

There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes. –William J. Brennan, Jr.

Barrett describes this fellow as a merchant who doesn't mind getting away from the sales counter and doing work that isn't quite as prestigious. When did hard work become something we thumbed our noses at rather than what we were proud of? Just because we can afford to pay someone to do a job that we could do ourselves doesn't make it lowly or inferior. Reunion, while usually referring to two separate people, might refer to two parts of ourselves. Remember as young children when we were proud to accomplish simple tasks on our own? Yet even when we're older, there are reasons to appreciate such work. As Tad Williams wrote: "One should treasure those hum-drum tasks that keep the body occupied but leave the mind and heart unfettered."

Immense Treasure

From the Fey Tarot, the Ten of Pentacles; from the I Misteri Sibilla, Riunione (Eight of Clubs):

          A family of fey sit around a coin-shaped table topped by a single candle. No bags of gold or feasts are in evidence, yet they seem content. This past year has dramatically changed many people's priorities. I don't hear too many folks bragging about their new iPhone or luxury car these days. Most people feel blessed if they and their loved ones are healthy, and if they still have an income, a home, and food in the cupboard. To use the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, it's been a stark reminder: "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." Riunione (reunion) shows a chance meeting of old friends. Good friends and family, though we've been physically separated, have kept me sane and on an even keel as I navigated the losses, heartaches and challenges of this past year. What an immense, undeserved treasure I've been given.