What Are You Building?

Recently received an e-mail about a housewife and mother of 3, who was feeling a bit depressed about how her life had turned out when compared to the lives of some of her more “successful” former classmates.

“One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'” What the lady didn’t realise but her friend did, was that she too was building mighty works of architecture in the form of her own family. And like none of us today have much of a clue as to who built many of these old Cathedrals of Europe, many don’t acknowledge the silent ones who have made mighty monuments out of their children by bringing them up properly and with Love. What about you are you feeling a bit of an underachiever, unloved, and unappreciated in what you are doing now, seeing it as unimportant and unnoticed? If so take a lesson from this lady and from the Cathedrals of Europe and keep on giving your best as you are building and creating your own special and unique monuments, (Whether it be your children or some other project,) even if only a few close and observant people, or no one, notice. Your work will not go unnoticed or unappreciated for ever. So when feeling a bit down or discouraged, don’t be; and don’t give up, just keep on keeping on and build those monuments that may take many, many years to be fully appreciated. Walter