Over the last two days,we have had some work being done on two of our porches. Brick laying, brick repair. I have to admit that I love watching this kind of work happen. I wonder at the satisfaction those who do this work must feel at the end of a day, at the end of any project. To begin from nothing and then to see something materialize right in front of your eyes, through the power of your muscles and your training, must be very fulfilling.
But, at the end of most days, I know that it takes us all to make a world. It takes the builders and the teachers, the computer programmers and the lawyers, the preachers and the nurses, the clerks and the designers, the farmers and factory workers. The list goes on and on as far as the imagination takes us. It takes those of us who won't know for many years if the work they did counted for anything and those who see immediate results. Together we are, hopefully, an inspiration to one another for keeping on, keeping on.
These are the building blocks of the world. And we are all builders together. For growing, for healing, for change, for hope. Each day, armed with our individual gifts, we walk out our doors and into this blessed world in which we know the privilege called life. We serve and are served by a vast array of humans doing the work that feeds them and their families. Work that is unique to the individual gifts of the person.
And so it goes. Today might be a day to say an extra special thank you to those you meet today. For the work they do, for the service they provide, for sharing a small part of who they are. Our thank you may just help them see the visible difference they actually make in the world. It may be the only sign they get this day. And wouldn't it be a shame to deny them that?
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are a variety of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone." I Corinthians 12:4-6
Sally,
I recently listened to a marvelous podcast of the Diane Rehm show out of Washington DC. The program was called Shop Class as Soul Craft. (Do take the time to download it – well worthwhile.)
In an age that elevates the intellectual pursuits, we’ve lost the perceived value of making and fixing things. From a purely economic standpoint, where are the pursuits that cannot be outsourced? A radiologist in India recently read a friend’s scan. But can we hammer a nail over the internet? No. Can we rebuild your porch steps electronically? No. Those things take people and presence and skill.
From a soul perspective (and echoing your words) what great inner satisfaction in the “manual arts”. Creating something where there was nothing. Creating something that lasts.
As always, I love waking up to your reflections.
More java awaits….