Standing In The Shadow Of A Craftsman

This past weekend I had the privilege of helping my church to build the foundation for a new storage unit on the side of the building. It was a tremendous learning experience for me and well worth the time and the sore muscles that still haven't fully recovered. I learned a little about laying a block foundation and got to try out a few things I've never done before.


The best part of the day though was getting to work beside an experienced mason. It is hard to put into words what it was like watching this man work. The effortless motions smoothly laying mortar, the quick placement of each block sitting in exact alignment, and the few strikes of a hammer to break a block to the exact size needed without measuring. All the time confident is his abilities but humble in his attitude. It was an honor to watch him work.

A couple of lessons for me in this experience. The first, which I hope to pass on to my children, whatever it is that you do in life, work hard at it and strive to become a master craftsman at whatever it is that you find yourself doing. Even if it isn't what you want to do for the rest of your career, you can still work to become great at it. The second lesson is to continue looking for the craftsmen of the world. The men and women who have developed an expertise in their work that you can just sit and watch with a smile on your face as you witness the beauty of their work.

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