Don't Seal the Deck In Summer!

Yeah, I should have probably figured this factoid out. It's rainy season here. Pressure washing, scrubbing, resanding, and sealing the pool deck pavers isn't a quick job right now. It's also HOT. Like 92 degrees feels like 102 HOT.

I've been silent for over a month here on the blog. I'll attribute that to the fact that I've been hard at work. Literally 14-16 hour days for the past few weeks, and even on the weekends. This, sadly, leaves little time to write. So here's the deck story.

So I thought it would be appropriate to mention Ecclesiates 9:9-10, "...in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Yes, Lord I took you literally with the whole under the sun part. It's hard work too. I enjoy that. For someone who has a computer laden job, but doesn't often get to flex the man muscles, I have to tackle some tough projects every once in awhile. I should have utilized the ol' mental smarts and prepared better with some planning. Like why not perform this in the winter or spring before it got HOT outside? Right? I know it probably costs over $1,000 to get this job done. Especially with resetting and leveling. I've seen the quotes. I proudly wrapped that up for $160 of supplies and that makes me feel proud. And then I let the pride get carried away...so in his infinite sense of humor, God smiled and watched me lose my grip on the wand, blowing out three cage enclosure screens in the process. $173. Still less than $1,000, but lesson learned.

Proverbs seems to be one of those books just rich with sage advice and mad props to the hard workers. It also has its share of warnings for the lazy.

"In all toil there is a profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23 Kind of sounds like, "Do you just talk the talk or walk the walk?"

"Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense." Proverbs 12:11.

Since I missed Father's Day shout outs...

I must say, that in my life, I have been utterly blessed by male relatives and role models who are HARD HARD HARD workers. They're also smart workers, some times more efficient than others, but what always impressed me was that NONE of them just worked hard. They worked hard and to the BEST OF THEIR ABILITY. These men were always ALL IN, fully, completely, and produced a result that they could be proud of. My dad has worked at least two jobs, sometimes three, for as long as I can remember. He still does. No matter how many birthdays have passed, no matter what might be bugging him, he goes to work. Never have I seen a man so driven to never take a sick day. If he takes one, it's probably because he actually can't see out of BOTH eyes, or he can't stop coughing long enough to breathe. I don't know that I'll ever live up to that standard since I have daycare kids and the sickness they pass on, good night. But, I know that no matter how tired I am, I'm gonna get the job done, and get it done right. That's from you Dad.

My Papa, who's up in Heaven, worked through "retirement" helping out different places, family, friends. Listening was one of his good skills. He didn't talk much. He just liked to soak it all in. God's creation, family, his beloved grandkids (me included!) I still feel him with me sometimes when I'm traveling or when I'm at the piano. He always used to listen to me play whenever he was over at our house when I was a kid.

To my uncles, my priest friends, and to the men on Stephi's side of the family. I can actually say I couldn't name a single one who isn't competing for a hard worker trophy. I learned hard work in a hard way by working for an uncle and doing landscaping and yard work. Back then, shoot, he paid me a quarter an hour more than minimum wage. That was sure cool. No one was hiring 14-15 year olds for more than minimum up in western NY. But boy did my body suffer after working, pulling trees, mowing acres, weeding, trimming, raking, lifting, hauling... gosh did I HATE WEEDING. I couldn't just spray them. I had to pull them. Every single one. Occassionally, that last couple bucks didn't matter so much and I trowel buried a few weeds a few inces under, but hey I was a teenager!

I hope people realize how hard priests work. I don't actually think many Catholics do. They have to be completely ready to deliver prior to a 6:30am and 7am Mass and be super personable. 7 days a week. 365 days a year. I also don't think anyone realizes how many people actually need to speak to a priest. I work there I know. They don't get to decompress much. The parish stays alive until 9pm most nights. They try to take one day off a week. They try to take vacation. The guys who work and run parish conglomerates and combinations of two or more than have had to pool resources together? I don't even want to imagine their schedule.

So I can only hope to be that same father, that same man. I work with my boys, I have them help me. We pitch in and I preach that if we all share the work, we get done faster and have more fun. It's hard work trying to instill a servant's heart and work ethic in rambunctious boys. Holy cow, though when you see the results when it actually works. Like when they say, "I wanna mop the floor." Wait what? Ha!

Anyway, next time, I'll share some pictures of Week 30-31 of Baby Leggo (#4 boy who's on the way and just earned that nickname. I'll also share funny stories of our family's Father's day present to me - a trip to the Kennedy Space Center! (We all wanted to be an astronaut once right?) I'll also post about J-Man's #ShareOurGiftsParty birthday party and why my 4-year-old is so stinking cool and caring.

~RJ