Foundations First | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Foundations First | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dwayne Harris
03/17/11
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““Are you going to get up?” Grandpa asked. My eyes struggled to open as I looked towards the window which showed no sign that the day had even yet begun. Normally I would have rolled over and went back to sleep, however, spending the weekend at the farm was the highlight of my summer break. The smell of breakfast quickly caught my attention, and the unmistakable sound of sausage frying up in the skillet gave me the incentive needed to push away the sheets and find my way to the kitchen table. From fresh eggs, biscuits covered in honey-butter, and even a bowl of corn flakes, breakfast was the biggest meal of the day. Grandpa would even let me take two full scoops of cocoa from the tin container to make chocolate milk. Try that at home.

Heading out into the cool morning air we would begin the task of feeding the animals, all of whom he seemed to know by name. Once complete, we would make our way over to the old wooden shed where Grandpa made his living as a carpenter. His workspace had all the warmth of a second home decorated with handcrafted furniture and a local hardware store calendar for décor.

He quickly began cutting pieces of wood for the tool shed he was building for a nearby neighbor. To this day I love the sound of a table saw in action and the smell of fresh cut lumber. Standing there wearing one of his nail aprons, and holding his wooden hammer, I felt like I was doing my part.

After what seemed like endless hours of work that was going nowhere, I asked, “When is it going to look like a shed?”

“You can’t build what is on the outside until the frame is built,” he replied.

“Why does it take so long?” I questioned.

“You can never rush the foundation. If done incorrectly, whatever you put on it will not last.”

I didn’t completely understand this truth until many years had passed; too many, perhaps. As I look back today, I realize that even though time has weathered much of his labor, the framework still remains.

I wonder if my grandfather realized that his greatest work was never made by hands. Instead, it was his example of sincere prayer; faithful dedication to his family; something as simple as sitting on the front porch in the evening reading his Bible. It was whistling an old hymn while his grandchild listened in amazement. These simple acts have laid a foundation in my life that will last an eternity.

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