Something tells me he got the gene, did Grandson #2.
The “fix-it gene,” that is.
The rest of us were content to focus on a favorite board game last evening while my son-in-law graciously took on a repair project in our powder room. But not the Little Guy.
Far more enthralled by patchwork was Grandson #2. He was drawn to his Daddy like hot-mud to a trowel as the project progressed – scampering back-and-forth from powder room to family room, to provide periodic updates.
A whole lot of fixin’ going on…
As for Gramps, I knew better than to attempt anything more than provide an affectionate focus on documentation. Drywall and I do not mix. Same goes for plumbing. And electrical work. And other household repairs. I learned many things from my father, but being handy was not one of them. In fact, the “fix-it gene” is recessive across my entire family tree, if it exists at all.
That’s the downside: When things go haywire around the house (which is to say, when life happens), it means not “project” but “process.” I can’t just block out a few hours and tackle the job myself. My ham-handed efforts (I know from bitter experience) will only make things worse.
The upside is that I’ve learned to network quite a bit. There are several dear friends and relatives in my circle who do have the gene, and who don’t mind being called upon to save me from myself. What a blessing, what a grace they are in my life!
And there’s a lesson in that, I think – one that this week’s scripture passages brought to light. In the first reading, we hear from Job – a pitiable lamentation:
Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages.
As I reflected on Job’s worldview, I realized with more than a little gratitude that while I recognized his sentiments, I did not share them. My experience of community consistently saves me from Job’s level of despair.
And no less intriguing to me is the model of evangelization Jesus introduces in this week’s gospel passage – just a day or two after the launch of his public ministry. “For this purpose have I come,” he says, to share the Good News. But it’s definitely NOT a one-man show. “Everyone is looking for you,” he hears from Simon Peter. And Jesus replies, “Then let us go on…”
Together, let’s tackle this job – whether it’s healing the sick or driving out demons or introducing people to the Kingdom of God. Let’s patch together a team, confident that together we can get the job done.
Big Brother is more than willing to help the Little Guy sort through his options on an art project…
My son-in-law says there’s still a little work to be done here. If it were up to me, I’d just hang a frame around the patch, and call it “modern art.”
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.
IHS
With Us Still 