We own a small company that adjoins the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail greenway. We recently noticed there were workers clearing away debris from the abandoned homeless camps in the greenway near our building. Then there were crews clearing the heavy underbrush in the greenway, consisting mostly of blackberries. That’s tough work.
We were delighted to learn that the crew clearing the underbrush was participating in a jail work-release program. My Grandma Kay taught me that good work is good for the soul. Apparently she felt my soul needed considerable improvement and she always had an inspiring amount of chores for me to do when I got home from school.
I guess it’s from that experience that I have deep, if not odd, appreciation for hard work. When I see people working really hard, well, it just makes me happy.
It occurred to us that we could do one of our company barbecues and invite the corrections work crew as well. It would be a small thing to show them that the community appreciates the positive steps they are taking and to thank them for their good work.
Every man and every woman takes pride in a job well done and these young men were doing a heck of a job making our community a safer and more beautiful place to live.
So we hauled out the old grill at the shop and put on a few extra burgers. We had a nice time being outdoors, eating summertime fare and admiring the new greenway views. In addition to our employees, the staff at one of our best customer companies, our UPS driver, the mail carrier and the water delivery guy all had time to relax, chat and enjoy the food.
When everyone was full of beans, burgers and potato salad, I started cleaning up. That’s when the foreman of the corrections crew came back and said thanks again. He said he was very grateful for the way we treated his men, especially since at times people don’t treat them with dignity.
I was embarrassed to hear that of my community, and managed only to mumble something like, “We all make mistakes and who am I to judge?”
He spoke briefly about how these young men have paid, or are now paying, their debts to society and deserve to be treated kindly. We were in complete agreement on that. We sincerely wish them all the best.
In case you’re wondering, each one, to the man, said a heartfelt thank you and behaved as a perfect gentleman. That was nice, but for me the best part was seeing these hardworking young men’s faces show happy smiles. That really made my day.
Here’s to all those workers who make the effort to rise above bad decisions and difficult times. Work hard. Bust a sweat. I’m certain my Grandma Kay is smiling down on you and cheering you on.
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