Do The Best You Can

We got good news today. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, we have been trying to sell the home of Jilda's mom. Today Jilda's nephew agreed verbally to purchase the house. He still has to sell his home and a few other things have to fall into place, but I feel good about the deal. It has a certain symmetry to it. He spent a great deal of time there when he was a child. Those walls hold a lot of memories.
Jilda and I are still doing a lot of work to get the house in good condition. We are not taking any shortcuts. Someone told me a few days ago "just slap some paint one it and let it slide." But that's not the way we do things. We approach our work as if it was going to be our house and we would be living there.
I read a parable once about a carpenter that worked for a successful builder for 20 years. The carpenter was getting ready to retire when the builder asked him to build one more home.
The carpenter reluctantly agreed. The plans were beautiful, but the carpenter's heart was not in it. Deep down he resented that he had spent his life working for someone else when he could have been working for himself. He made a conscience decision to cut corners and do the least amount of work necessary so the he could pocket the most money. He used second grade lumber, wiring and plumbing fixtures. On the surface the house looked fine and only the carpenter knew that it was substandard. Cutting the corners allowed him to pocket a few extra dollars.
When the builder came for the final inspection, he smiled broadly and handed the keys to the carpenter. The house is yours as a gift from me to you.....thanks so much for all the years you have worked for me.
This story had a profound effect one me. There are a lot of times when no one is watching that you could "slap on a coat of paint and let it slide," but you would always know that about yourself. I might not always do a great job but I always strive to do the best that I can.