Growing up I was taught to care for the things I owned. It didn’t matter whether it was expensive or not. My dad was always doing various things to our house. Renovating the basement, rebuilding the deck, and the regular task of sealing the driveway.
Now that I’m older with a home of my own, I finally understand why my old man put so much effort into what we had. After all, my family came from the ruins of the Second World War.
On this Sunday, my plan is to finish the deck that has seen better days. I’m taking pride in doing this not only because of my family history, but I will pass this value to my son. But there is another reason too.
Where my family came from the rubble of Italy all those decades ago, there is a tragedy going on in our world today, (unfortunately one of many). I was driving home the other day from work and I heard a story of Syrian refugees living in Jordan. Many no longer have a home to care for. But what they do have, they take pride in. This gave me pause.
For all our griping about rather petty issues, most of us have homes to come home to. We have lawns to mow, kitchen sinks to fix, and decks to paint. While I’m rolling the fresh coat of Autumn Brown on my deck this morning, I’ll be thinking about all those individuals who are simply grateful to be alive. How many of them would love to be able to pain their own decks? I’ll also be thinking of my family that faced a different yet similar journey all those years ago.
The Dad In Me 
Very nice. You’re right, too often we (I) treat that daily tasks of the day as if they are a burden. I should try to remember how lucky I am to be able to enjoy the opportunities to have these tasks.
Happy Sunday,
Bill
Thanks Bill.
Vince