“She Works with Eager Hands.”
Mondays. The weekend is over, back to school, back to work.
Laundry is piled up, grocery supply is low, the house has that ‘lived-in’ look
and the ‘to-do’ list is long. It’s the same old things, week after week. I begin
to think of my wonderful mother-in-law, Shirley. She has been in my place for
many more mundane Mondays than I have. How did she find the motivation each
week to begin again?
It’s easy to remember the big things she accomplished, the
rugby shirts she sewed for the boys and the Nana-gowns she sewed for the
grandchildren. We all love our Nana-gans she knitted for our beds and all of
the knitted sweaters safety stored away each winter. But what about the little
things Shirley did regularly? At the end of the day, her home was clean,
polished, dusted, vacuumed and sweet aroma of Pine Sol filled the home. Dinner
was served on time, night after night.
Shirley chose an attitude that guaranteed success in her
work; she always made time to attend Mass and spend time with God:
“Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23
Every customer you serve or every child you hug, every
toilet you clean or every deal you close can be an act of worship when it is
done for the glory of God. Like Shirley, we can learn to train our heart and
choose our attitude about our work. Joy in work can be found when we look for
it.
Monday. I will work with eager hands and adopt a joyful
attitude by performing [often unnoticed] acts of service for my family. My week
has just begun! My family needs clean clothes to wear. They need to eat
well-balanced meals to keep them healthy. I will take care of myself and go on
a three mile walk to get some exercise and spend time talking to God. I will pick
up the clutter, mend my daughters’ shorts, do the dishes, clean the floors, run
some errands and water the newly planted flowers so the outside of our home reflects
the beauty that resides inside. Lastly, I will splash Pine Sol in the toilets
because it smells like Love and I will turn our house into a home – just like
Shirley taught me.
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