The Value of Work

I really like to play. I like to read a good book. I like to take long walks or go to the park. I relish movie nights with a tub of buttered popcorn. And I LOVE road trips when I can leave behind all cooking and housework. I've decided that I'm much better at playing than working. My husband, on the other hand, loves to work. Often, he works to relax (an oxymoron in my opinion - but not his).

Work is on my mind because for the next few months we'll be doing much more work than play. Painting. Cleaning. Organizing. Packing. Yard work. Work. Work. Work.

Last Monday night during our weekly Family Home Evening lesson, my husband talked to the kids about work. He explained that we were all going to be required to do more as we prepare for our move. There were the expected groans and grumblings. Really, who likes to be told that more work is ahead?

But last night I saw a glimmer of hope in my five small children. We needed to get the house ready for a Realtor who was coming to look at the house. My children did job after job after job. Wiping walls, sweeping, dusting, organizing, and vacuuming. They surpassed their tired point and kept working. All of us collapsed into bed exhausted. But we had done it!

And while I'd still much rather curl up on the couch with a lovely book, I have to admit that it really felt good to work hard. David O. McKay said "Let us realize that the power to work is a blessing and the love of work is success." I may not have found success quite yet, but I know I'll have ample opportunities in the next few months to "work" on it.