Not knowing Gates' history my gut would guess he sacrificed in the early years by working for no salary to build a company.

I think what's missing here is the component of sacrificing for something not you. I'm sure he did without some material comforts, but in the service of his own goal. Nothing wrong with that, admirable even. But I'm not sure it quite fits in this context.

A lovely thunderstorm cell is coming down the valley at us. I don't even care that my car windows are down. It's been weeks since we had real rain and not just enough to splatter the dust on the windows.

But what else is a sacrifice? Can we say that politicians make sacrifices? They get paid, but so do members of the military.

In general I'd equate their sacrifices to those of business people who work long hours at jobs with a lot of responsibility. But once they get prominent on the national stage, Gabi Giffords demonstrates that they're risking horrendous sacrifices for themselves and their families by making themselves targets for crazy people. It is not on the same order of risk as that dared by people who volunteer for combat roles in the military, though, and they get plenty of perks, without having to deal with the long separations from loved ones that many soldiers do.

Timelies all!

In a little while we will drop the little guy off at Gary's dad's place so we can go out to dinner for our anniversary.(12 years. Where does the time go?)

Happy anniversary, Sheryl. Enjoy the celebration.

Not knowing Gates' history my gut would guess he sacrificed in the early years by working for no salary to build a company. That is all I could guess though.

Given that his family was already well-to-do before Microsoft was started, probably not a lot of sacrificing was necessary on his part.

At this point, something's going to snap before we make it to the election. I just don't know if it's going to be my brain, my heart, my sanity, my spirit...

All of the above?

I don't think work means the same thing as sacrifice. I do not think the two should (generally) be equated.

Work is its own thing and is a good (means and ends dependent) but work itself is not a sacrifice. When we don't have something with which to occupy ourselves, it is not good for us.

To go biblical for a moment, even in the pre-fall Garden of Eden (i.e. paradise) Adam and Eve had work to do. The difference (pre and post-fall) was the intensity and the pleasure derived from the tasks we needed to accomplish (i.e. "By the sweat of your brow...").

Sacrifice means giving up or losing something. I don't think wealthy people, even those who give millions (or meeeeellions, if that's your speed) to charity are sacrificing. They're being charitable (i.e. loving -- a whole 'nother word, and also good, but not the same as sacrifice).

I feel the same way about the (comparatively scant) charitable donations my family makes. Sure they cost us something, but not to the level of sacrifice. I mean, I'm not telling the kids we won't help them with college tuition, because there are starving children in the world (which, arguably I should, and I'm going to leave this point behind now, because it makes me uncomfortable).

You know, not that anyone asked.

SO yeah, hi B.org. How you doin'?

You know, not that anyone asked.

I totally asked.