Last night, a near lightning strike fried our home computer and modem. Yep, it even smelled like burnt electronics. My home computer is dead. No getting on the Internet. No retrieving any files. Lest you wonder, yes we did have a heavy duty surge suppressor uninterrupted power supply thingy but this time, it didn't work. And yes, I've called the company about their guarantee but of course it will involve a claims process. So I'm on my own for now and will take what I can get from them later.

Since I rely on technology so much, I admit I am feeling unsettled, but not nearly as frustrated as I might have expected myself to be. I'm resigned to this challenge, realizing things could be much worse. Oh, yes, I do have some sense of anxiety about all the steps to either repair or, more likely, replace this computer. And I am experiencing grace since I don't have formal backup system for files. (Fortunately, most of what I work with ends up online, backed up in another state, and I have backed up my financial records recently...so other than inconvenience, I'm fairly confident most things will be retrievable.) But I'm asking myself the question, "Do I have what I need for today?" And the answer is 'yes.' I'm writing this at Spill the Beans. I have access to other computers so I can get online and send my Rev! article which is due Monday. And, I'll probably end up with a better, newer computer, something that we need to be considering anyway. While I'm not thrilled about dipping into the emergency fund, I'm thankful to have one. And maybe a few days off being relatively off-line will be good for me. After all, the computer and Facebook can be addicting. So, since it is what it is, I hope to come out of this setback with more wisdom and trust. That will actually be a great Mother's Day gift, too.