Day 20: Work Heroes

Part of the walk is giving my children some time to play afterwards...it is all part of the "plan". I am unable to join them (I would probably break every toy in the children's area at the mall), but I also can not just sit there. I would get way too bored. So, I read.

I am currently reading a biography about L.M. Montgomery. Anne of Green Gables is my favorite book series, I own the Emily series and at one time owned a large number of Montgomery's works (had to give a lot of the books away when moving, packing and storage became a problem). I had heard rumors that some of Montgomery's life was the basis for her books - and the rumors are true!

The book is an interesting read, but I find myself wishing I could read Montgomery's journals instead of someone rehashing them. But that is not what I want to focus on.

In a chapter about work, the author says a Prince Edward Island historian described the people of the island treasured work. The historian described these people as "work heroes" (much like today's sports heroes). Someone would be known for being the best with horses, another for setting the best table for the minister, another for hooking the most rugs during the winter, etc. The work heroes described seem to equally cover men and women and the labors that each gender was generally responsible for. (Maud, The Life of L.M. Montgomery, the creator of the world of Anne of Green Gables by Harry Bruce, ch 6 "Work, Save, Pray - And Behave Yourself", pg. 55)

It hit me kind of hard - when did work heroes get replaced with sports heroes and music heroes and actor heroes and every kind of hero, but the kind that actually matters? Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in an age when keeping the cleanest home was considered a matter of pride? and not just for you, but for your family, friends, relatives as well?

Okay, practically speaking I do not want to give up modern conveniences...I've lived without power and water for an extended period of time - not fun! I just wish that the bread I bake was a thing of heroes instead of an after thought.

I am sure, some of you are thinking, that to those that matter my house keeping skills, bread making skills, organizational skills, etc. do matter and many applaud those efforts. Since I never see myself or the things I do as legitimate...well, I can sometimes discount my own abilities.

I remember the different times at church as a young woman and as an adult where I was asked to bring something in to showcase my talents or passions. I drew a blank every single time. I know I came up with something, but not after weeks of agonizing over something, anything, that I considered "good enough".

I admire people who have talent in singing, playing a musical instrument, sewing, crafting, artistic abilities, etc. My talents are on a different plane....

I can walk into any room or home and in a very short while find a better way to organize the furniture or even remodel the floor plan to make the area "flow" better. This is not a talent I share with many people - I am positive most people would find it rather offensive. Thankfully, my mom lets me rearrange/reorganize her home whenever I visit! (full disclosure: I can rearrange, remodel, & reorganize, but I can't decorate!)

I can do really silly voices when I read books to children. Not sure who this is useful to except for the children I am reading to! I don't sing well, but I sing loud and in silly voices as well.

I do make a decent loaf of homemade bread and muffins. My best meal is spaghetti - I make my own sauce using spices and tomato sauce (my husband raves over it).

I do keep a fairly clean & straight home, but hopefully my home also feels like a home when others come to visit.

Well, you get the idea, my talents are not going catapult me to the top of the "heroes" business, but maybe I can learn to prize my own talents the way the islanders did while Montgomery was growing up. And maybe, just maybe, I can instill that into my children as well.

Side thought: As I reread this, I realized that even the talents I listed were probably not the stuff of "real" heroes. Real heroes, I think, give of their time and talents to help others - the person who visits the elderly every week without fail, the person who teaches others (either in church or in a public setting), the person who carries around gloves of all sizes on the off chance that someone might need one, the person who fights for their country, their freedoms and their family, the people who willingly give up years of their life to serve missions or join the peace corps.

Maybe I have some of those talents as well...but I think I must ponder that one for a little while.