Hardworking and Humble
Every couple of weeks, I will pick a different song for us to listen to and think of how it applies to our lives. I would love to read your thoughts; if you are comfortable sharing them. Prompts for each song will be included in my biweekly email.
I am always open to song suggestions. So, please send them my way.
Enough Rope by Chris Knight
This song hits differently for me; it makes me think of my dad. He was a man of honor before he even knew what that meant. As a young child, he gathered fallen coal from coal trucks to provide heat for his parents and siblings. If the garden needed tending to, he just did it. If the animals needed fed, he did it. While most kids were playing with toys or learning to read, he was already working.
Dad took his first job outside the coal mines as a pre-teen, shoveling, carrying, cleaning, or whatever the boss asked. He showed up early and offered to stay late with eagerness. Before his eighteenth birthday, he was already working inside the coal mines.
After he and mom married, dad didn't slow down. In fact, he worked harder to provide for them and later us kids. Even though he couldn't read, dad passed his electrical test for the mines. His work ethic and determination were second to none. Doing a job well and providing for his family were the two most important things to dad.
He was a proud man that earned everything that he ever received. As a young man, he broke his back and both legs. After he recovered from both accidents, he went back into the mines. There was no poor pitiful me, or I have the worst luck. Dad didn't dwell on what he didn't have. He just focused on what he could do.
The only form of regret that he ever shared with me is that he would have gone much further with an education. Therefore, he prided himself on offering us the opportunity to go further and have more than he did. He wanted each of us to go to college and get less labor-intensive jobs than his. Dad always encouraged us to chase our dreams and did everything he could to help us. When one of us achieved a goal, no one was more proud than him.
Dad was unshakable in all of his beliefs. A man who stood for what was right. A man who worked hard, long hours. A man who still made time for his family. To me, he was the best man in the world.
How can you apply this song to your life? If you would like to receive prompt questions, email me or sign-up for my newsletter.