The Honor in Work

When I work in the Garden I work among the workers. I feel I am part of a team who gets things done. I watch honey bees, bumble bees and sweat bees all land on the same flowers. They focus on their duty in a spirit of cooperation. The reward is sure.

One day I came across a pair of dung beetles. As I watched them work, I notice one was clearly working harder than the other. In fact, one seems to do little more than ride along. But neither are disuaded from the task at hand. Progress is a goal to be shared.

The Garden shows me valuable truths. One, all work is not weighted equally. Someone will always work harder than you or you will be assigned a chore harder than someone else. This is not an injustice.

Second, and most important, is learning that there is honor in working hard! To be a contributing part of a family or community makes you an asset. Children will learn this very young. They learn they are needed or they learn they are not. Given the choice, anyone would rather be a ‘taker’, but there lies the injustice.

Start your own garden - anywhere. Big or small. Let it teach you. You are needed.

God bless you and your Garden