Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Grandpa and I

The dishes need to be done. The laundry needs to be sorted. Clothes that are too small for one child need to be washed, folded, and put away for another child to wear when it's time. (No longer are they referred to as hand-me-downs, but rather a new & improved version of renew, re-use, recycle; you should see what we use ice cream buckets, formula containers, and detergent buckets for - we're not junky, we're "making do, using it up, doing with or doing without.") The bills need to be paid with the money we don't have. The house needs a pick-me-up hour. And I need to get out of my funky mood and get going and get doing.

On a normal day, I love my job. I love my office. I love the people I work with. I feel so fortunate to be where I want to be everyday. I'm a CEO - Chief Executive Office of our home. I'm a mom, and for me, on a normal day, it's a privilege to be called that and to do the duties associated with that very divine calling. But today and yesterday I was discouraged thinking that whatever I do doesn't stay clean or picked-up or fresh for use for the next time I use it. I know, it's part of the day-to-day raising of children. But all I could think of was "the damn dam needs to be fixed again."

Great, great, great Grandpa M. was a journal keeper, a civil engineer, and at a prophet's request he went to help in the colonies of Colonial Juarez. He and his son, George, worked together to build dams to provide water for the crops they planted. They found, however, that the dirt down south of Texas is different than U.S. farmland; it's filled with sand and difficult to work with. His journal entries were reports of their work:

"Built a dam for the crops."

(Two days later): "The dam broke. Will fix it with George tomorrow."

(Two to three days later): "The dam broke again. George and I worked to repair it."

(Two to three days later): "The dam broke again. Fixed it again."

(Again): "The damn dam broke again. George and I will fix it again tomorrow. We are not discouraged."

I guess I'm not that different from Grandpa M. The work I do requires that I do it then do it again and again and yet again. But I forgot the most important part of the work I do requires that I don't get discouraged in the doing of it. I guess I just forgot. But today, as I go about my duties, I won't repeat "the damn dam needs to be fixed again" but today, I will repeat - with meaning - "we are not discouraged." !

1 comment:

Esther Strickland said...

LIfe is good. Let me know if you need a brownie. I sure as hell need one today!

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