Teach Your Children Well

Melissa Sandfort

MowerToday Aunt Jeanette writes:

I was looking forward to spending most of today outside. Our lawn, which is about the size of a football field, desperately needed mowing. There are always weeds to pull. I had flowers to plant. The tomato plants that froze a couple of weeks ago needed to be pulled and new ones planted in their places. There is just something about working outside in the sunshine with a little breeze blowing that does my body and soul good!

First on the list was mowing the lawn. Well, I had gone around the edge of the lawn twice and was ready to mow in my diagonal pattern, when I heard a sound I hadn’t heard before. I went a little farther and then smelled something like burned rubber. Not a good smell! I immediately turned the mower off, hopped down from the seat, and saw pieces of a broken belt lying in the grass. Of course nobody was around to help because everyone was out getting pivots ready so we can begin irrigating.

Fortunately, our middle son happened to drive in and see my predicament. He helped me get the mower out to the shop and he started dismantling it. I was upset and knew he was busy with other things, so I told him to leave it and get back to his more important work. I was saying things such as, “Everyone is too busy to mess with my lawn mower now. I should have mowed yesterday when someone was around to help. Why do things like this always happen at the most inconvenient times?”

Then I just laughed out loud when his reply was, “Don’t you remember? The only time nothing happens is when you don’t do anything!” As our three sons were growing up and learning how to fix the things they had broken, they had heard those words of wisdom from their dad many times. I guess it proved to be one of life’s valuable lessons.

The lawn mower is still out in the shop. Maybe it will be fixed tomorrow, maybe not. However, I did manage to spend the day outside pulling weeds, planting flowers, and replanting tomato plants. Meanwhile, the grass is growing!

Until we walk again …

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