What would you do if you needed to move ten tons of broken-up concrete?
Hire a crew of strong men? Get a dump truck? Call on half a dozen muscular college fellas?
Of course not! Not if you were living in Smith World.
In Smith World, you would hire one man, two women, and eight children between the ages of seven and fifteen to do the job. Because what could possibly be more logical than that?
Our neighbors are doing work on their foundation and, as a result, a huge pile of broken concrete has been collecting by the side of the road. There are few things that light up the eyes of my husband more than broken concrete. And just why is that?
Well, we have a stream behind our house, and since we moved in, a lot of erosion has happened. Steve has been trying to find ways to shore up the shoreline (so to speak), and broken concrete seems to fit the bill.
But how would he move ten tons alone?
Enter the Concrete Super Movers, AKA Meagan, her four kids, her sister, Joy, her husband, John, and their four kids. (Visiting from Florida.) Steve called them and said he would pay them all to spend part of the day hefting huge hunks of concrete across the yard, and down the hill to the creek.
They readily agreed to the challenge and showed up to the job with enormous enthusiasm, as this picture demonstrates. Love their dramatic faces.
What followed was an exercise in happy, organized, chaotic productivity.
Each piece of concrete had to be handled twice–once to load, and once to unload. Concrete-Moving-Vehicles consisted of the small trailer behind the lawn tractor, a wheelbarrow, and John and Joy’s capacious van. Eleven people working 3.5 hours, and they got the job done. (Nathan and I missed out on the great adventure since we were both at work.)
The cousins/siblings all had a chance to show off their muscles.
Madi turned eleven on the 16th. You can tell her advanced age has given her enormous strength.
Hard-workin’ cousins.
The two magnificent mamas were out there working just as hard as anyone. Hey, when there’s money on the line, a new outfit might be on the horizon!
Even Abby, who was on crutches, made herself useful by doing some of the driving . . .
and providing water.
Driving that tractor was definitely the prime attraction for the older kids.
Meagan’s brother-in-law, John, is the pastor of the church where Meagan’s parents had pastored almost two decades before they started serving in the area of missions.
Steve is doing his classic “dad joke pose,” where he bends his first finger to make it look like he is picking his nose. Sigh. Men and their humor. 🙂
The finished product representing a lot of work. (Andrew asked Steve on the phone yesterday how the “rocks” had done during the recent rains. He was very concerned about the longevity of his labors.)
Joy and Meagan, being organized and frugal women, had planned ahead and brought sandwich fixings. They fed the whole crew lunch before they took off to new, non-concrete-based adventures.
My own dad is gone, but I want to take a moment to recognize my son and my husband.
Nathan is usually buried behind three computer monitors and rows of spreadsheets, but in this photo, he is actually going out to a Duke Energy worksite–a great change of pace.
When Meagan sent the picture, she said, “I like sharing what he is doing. I’m a proud wife!” (I love a woman who compliments her husband!)
Nathan juggles a lot and has faced more than his share of challenges over the past couple of years. But regardless of what is going on, he is a consistent, gentle, godly, loving Dad. He’d be the first to tell you he’s not perfect at it, but he puts every piece of his heart into the task of raising those four kids and being a great husband to their mom. Love you, son of my heart.
He keeps the outside shipshape . . .
and manages to cook me fabulous meals, as well.
To celebrate Father’s Day, I made him breakfast. Eggs, toast, and oranges, arranged in a rather strange pattern. (Hey. When creativity strikes, you gotta go with it.)
(His t-shirt says, “I don’t make mistakes when playing bass. I made spontaneous, creative decisions.”
Our children have been raised, loved, and influenced by this man, and they are a beautiful reflection of his heart. Love you, honey!
In closing, I just ran across this photo of Steve with his brothers and parents, taken in about 1974. Steve had a great example of fatherhood to follow in his dad. I’m thankful for the generations that have gone before and the ones yet to come.
What about you?
Tell us something about your dad. (I do realize not all dad stories are positive ones.) Maybe just share something you learned from him–whether something you want to emulate or something you don’t.
What small or large thing do you have planned in the next couple of weeks/months that makes you smile?
Of course you know that my dad passed into the presence of Jesus just 3 weeks ago, but perhaps my fondest memory of him happened on the golf course. That was where we had our deepest conversations, and this memory happened on the occasion of my 50th birthday (he would soon be turning 75). I asked him – seriously – this question: “I’m turning 50! When do you start FEELING like an adult?” His response? “I’ll let you know.”
And by the way, where can I get one of those bass players shirts? I love it!
Of course you know that my dad passed into the presence of Jesus just 3 weeks ago, but perhaps my fondest memory of him happened on the golf course. That was where we had our deepest conversations, and this memory happened on the occasion of my 50th birthday (he would soon be turning 75). I asked him – seriously – this question: “I’m turning 50! When do you start FEELING like an adult?” His response? “I’ll let you know.”
And by the way, where can I get one of those bass players shirts? I love it!