If It Is A Contest, I Won!

My son and his fiance' closed on the house that will be their first home after they are married this summer. It is a nice house and with some work, it will be a great first home for them. As seems to be the norm in our family, I am helping Mark and Meghan with things like building shelves, removing vinyl flooring, putting down tile, landscape renovation, removing wallpaper, and painting. Today, as we were working, I got a phone call from my daughter Alicia. About five years ago, I spent almost a month helping her remodel the first home that she and my son-in-law, Tim purchased. The question she asked me today was this, "Whose house required more work, hers or Mark's and Meghan's?" I immediately said that it was her first house. I was thinking about all the painting, flooring and hard wood floor refinishing that we did. We worked at least 10 hours a day and usually went to bed exhausted! However, after some more thought, I realized that it has been a blessing to help both of my children and their spouses (or soon-to-be spouses) with the work needed on their first homes. In fact, it has been a greater blessing than they can know. First, I have been blessed to have been taught how to do basic remodeling and construction by my Papaw, my dad and my father-in-law. The time I have spent during my life, with these three men has been something that has shaped me into the person I am. Second, I have been blessed to learn that hard work is a good thing! God's Word tells us this, but sometimes we ignore that truth. Lastly, I have been blessed to be able to work alongside my daughter and her husband and my son and his fiance'. And in case you wonder, my wife, Anita, was right there working away as well! So, if it really was a contest, then I will let them all in on a secret...I was the winner!