I like to write and I have tried to write a few books for my six-year-old daughter. I figured this would be a good one to share. It’s called “Love the Work, Little Girl.”
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“Daddy, are you going to be here in the morning?”
“No Savannah, I have to go to work.”
“Why do you have to go to work?”
“I go to work to provide for our family. I go to work so we can buy food, have a house, and other things like that.”
“Do you like to go to work?”
He let out a short laugh and said, “That’s kind of a tough question. I don’t always like to go to work. It takes me away from you and your momma. Sometimes I must do things I don’t like to do or know how to do. Sometimes I must do things that are hard and I would rather not do. When I must do that, I don’t like to go but I know that I still must.”
He paused and thought for a moment. Then he continued.
“Even though I don’t always like the work, I always try to remember to love the work.”
She looked at him with a confused looked. “Isn’t that the same thing?” she said.
He sat down next to her and said, “It might seem like it, but there is a difference. It’s easy to like or not like something. It’s just a feeling. Loving things is harder. You must choose to love regardless of how you feel at the time. Sometimes you do things that I don’t like. I don’t like those things. But I still love you.
“Why do you love the work?” she asked.
He laughed that short laugh again and continued, “That’s another tough question. It started a long time ago when I wasn’t that much older than you. That love has grown and changed over the years. It started by just liking some things, like building things or playing in the dirt. The more I did them, the more I liked them. I learned more and more about those things and then one day, I realized that those things were teaching me things. That caused me to love them even more.”
“Like what Daddy?”
“I love to work in the dirt. To get my hands dirty. I learned that there was good dirt and bad dirt. Good dirt helps things to grow. Bad dirt makes it hard to grow. I also learned that sometimes you can add good dirt to bad dirt and make that bad dirt better.”
This reminds me that there are places that help me to grow, and I should put my roots there. I will be healthier and happier. There are also places where I should not try to grow. I will spend all of my energy there, but the dirt is bad. And if I find myself in a place where the dirt isn’t good, I can always add some good dirt and make it a little better. I like good dirt.”
“I love to plant seeds and other plants. I love what they become. Maybe a flower. Maybe a vegetable. Planting seeds seems like a little project, but it can produce a big crop. Not just for the table, but in your heart.
You see, Savannah, planting seeds teaches you about faith. When you plant seeds, you space them out a certain distance because you have faith that they will fill that space. You have no idea when you cover them with dirt if they will, so you must have faith.
Faith is usually enough but if you nurture those seeds, even if you can’t see anything growing, they will grow faster and stronger. Seeds taught me to have faith and to nurture that faith with my effort.”
“I love to watch the seeds and plants that I planted grow. This teaches me to have a vision for the future. That plant is going to grow. How big it is today is not how big it is going to be in 5, 10, or even 20 years. You need to plan for that to allow enough room for that plant to mature. If you don’t plan for what it “might be” there’s a possibility that you will have remove it or prune it, so it fits the space it has. It can never reach its potential.”
“When you plant something right, take care of it while it is young, and then watch it mature; there is a sense of pride that only the gardener can feel. You notice someone else recognizing the beauty and know that you had a part in putting that beauty in the world.”
“As I started planting more and more, I had to learn to prune, even if it hurts sometimes. The reason you prune is to remove dead or broken branches, promote growth or flowering, or to improve the structure of a plant. It makes the plant grow better."
"There is a right way to prune so that the pruning doesn’t create a different problem. You need to learn to prune the proper way. Sometimes the pruning makes sense, like when there is a broken or damaged branch that needs to be removed. But other times, you must remove branches that look healthy because they aren’t growing quite right, or you need to make space for a different branch. Some people don’t prune their plants and sometimes those plants get ugly and unhealthy.”
“My work allows me to work during the different seasons. Each season has things I like and things I don’t like. When you work in and are aware of the different seasons, you can appreciate each season more. When you are battling through the gray, cold days of winter, you can look forward and know that the spring flowers will soon be here. As the spring rains fall, you know that the warm summer sun will soon be here."
"When that warm summer sun turns hot and you seek the shade of the tree in the yard, you know that soon the days will be shorter and cooler, and those green leaves that are providing shade now will soon be a beautiful red. And as you are raking up the fall leaves, you know that winter will soon be here and with the clean snow-covered ground, the world will rest for a while and sleep."
"The seasons remind us that there is a time and a reason for everything. And each time has things that are good and things that are not so good. The seasons remind us to enjoy the good while we have it and to have the grit to get through the tough because this too will pass."
"The thing I love the most about my work is the people. Over the years I have worked with or met people who do similar types of work as me who have made my life better and fuller. People who lend a helping hand or encouraging word. This is the best part of the work."
"When I was young, they helped me along the path and now I want to do the same. The people that I have worked with have taught me the concept of shared suffering. We will all face battles in life. You become closer to those who share the pain of those battles. This is the way that you build a Team or a Community. My work community was there when you were born little one. They celebrated with me and offered encouragement in uncertain times. They didn’t have to. But they did."
"These are few of the reasons that I love the work. What do you think little girl?”
The little girl sat there staring at her dad. Not sure what to say.
Then she said, “The work seems a little like school. I like school. I like to learn things and I like the people I get to learn with. I don’t always like going to school. I think I need to learn to love it. Kind of how you love your work.”
He smiled and replied, “I hope you do little one. It will make your life fuller. But remember, don’t let the work define you. You are not your work or your work ethic. The work is a part of you. You need to find other things to love. But when you choose to love things, it makes your heart stronger and bigger. Then you can love other things more. That’s why I love you so much and know that I will still love you more.”