Who taught you to work? What would you want your children and grandchildren to learn from your example?
I have had great examples in my parents for work ethic. My dad never spent much time being idle. He loved his work and put great effort in to being successful. When he was at home he always had a project going. He built the house I grew up in. He often times included the kids in the building process. I remember helping him nail shingles into the roof. I loved the physical work and often participated. I knew my work was paying off when one summer at 4-H camp they had a nail pounding contest. I was 11 or 12, I was beating everyone at the contest so they let me move up with the 15 & 16 year old boys. I beat everyone of them. I knew it was because of the time I had spent helping dad on the house. Dad also had us involved in the chores in the yard. It seemed every weekend before General Conference he would have us doing major yard cleaning. Some of those chores including moving last years wood pile to a different location, burning weeds and leaves (which I loved, still do, love the smell). Cleaning out the barn, chicken coop and rabbit cages. I don't know if he did this with the intent of being prepared in every way to receive Gods's word or not but for some reason I always took it that way. I have always tried to get my house and yard cleaned up by conference weekend. Some of my most favorite work memories----We raised chickens, every so often dad would kill some of them for eating. He would chop of their heads, dip them in a barrel of hot steaming water, that was set over a fire, hand them to us six kids, sitting around a white wood table that was low to the ground, and we would sit and pluck the feathers off. We also would help with weeding, planting and harvesting the garden. I also loved hauling hay. Usually I would ride the horse around in the field, or sometimes I would drive the truck while the hay was loaded. The one job I did not like was picking seed to sell to the BLM. We would leave early in the morning, about 4:00 a.m. Arrive at the mountain just as the sun was coming up and start picking little seeds off of plants. They were very sticky and they would get all over my clothes and sock. When I went to bed at night I would see seeds all night long.
I also learned a lot from Mom. She was a stay at home mom. She always kept our house organized and clean. For some reason it seems I was always assigned to clean the bathroom or dust. Mom also worked hard and wasn't idle. She went years without carpet on her floors but she always provided us with a comfortable clean home. I also remember hanging clothes out on the clothes line. One thing she taught me that I think has helped me in my life , is to make your bed as soon as you get up. This has always made me feel accomplished.
I have always tried to work hard and make things pleasant at my home also. I tried to have the kids involved in the chores at home. When we rented I always treated the rental as I would my own home. I kept the house and yard clean and in good shape. So I guess what I would want my kids and grandkids to learn that no matter the job, good or bad always do your best.
2 comments:
Our parents did have a good work ethic. I remover all those things you mentioned but I never connected the yard cleaning to getting ready for conference. I think mom must have disliked cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry. I cleaned bathrooms too. I remember hanging clothes and ironing. Mom did keep a nice house. You learned a lot from her, your home always looks so nice.
I never saw mom or dad idle either. I remember chores around the house mostly. Bathroom, vacuuming, dusting, and dishes. One day Grandma Bates was at the house and had eaten dinner with us. It was my turn to do the dishes. Grandma dried them. She was watching me wash dishes and taught me a lesson on washing the entire dish... bottom and all. She said, "Carol, do you wash your bottom when you take a bath?" I said, "yes". She the said, "the dishes you wash need their bottoms washed, too." I think of that every time I wash a dish by hand. Funny how something as simple as that becomes a great teaching lesson and you never forget it. I remember burning my hand many times in mom's steaming hot water! I loved the summer when we would sit out on the lawn and snap green beans for her to bottle. And shucking corn. I also remember hanging clothes out on the line in the back yard and fearing for my life every time Dr. Pepper came running. He was brutal on the legs.
I loved being in the yard, but not helping so much. Plucking chicken feathers was far too much for me. I lost my stomach when dad would chop their heads off and the smell of plucking feathers sent me to the house stinking sick. I got out of that chore. I've always had a weak stomach. The barn yard didn't bother me too much. In fact, every time I smell a barn yard in the spring, it makes me homesick. I hated pulling weeds. Really hated it. But I did like being out in the fields when we baled hay. I really liked driving the old blue, or was it green? GMC truck. Fun memories.
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