I spent a good portion of the morning spreading grass seed around our new church classroom building. It's buffalo grass, which means eventually it will require little maintenance, but to get it going it has to be raked into the soil.
I was joined in the seeding project by Roy and Charles. They're two of the more elderly members of our church, both being about 30 years my senior. I enjoy their company and their work ethic. However, I must admit these two fine men don't share my sense of urgency.
Roy and Charles have lived active and interesting lives. They are retired now, but they stay busy. No one would accuse either of them of being lazy, but they're also in no hurry.
On days such as this, conversation is a key component.
Every so often I would stop long enough to wipe away the sweat and simply watch them. They would spread some dirt around, and then their thoughts brought them pause. They'd lean on their rakes, and share their stories.
The conversation knew no boundaries. I heard them discussing skinning feral hogs. I listened as they mused about whether the Koreans were catching up to the Japanese in the production of quality automobiles. I stood fascinated as they compared heart bypass scars.
Occasionally I offered my opinions, but mostly I listened.
The grass seeding project took a little longer than I anticipated. In truth, I probably could have finished it in about the same amount of time had I done it alone.
But I was thankful for every moment of today.
Few seedlings are blessed with the opportunity to see the season ahead.
