Labor Day Reflection

Dear Friends

Seventeenth century Anglican priest and poet George Herbert said “Nothing is little in God’s service.” Since retiring, things I might have considered little have become bigger. Being responsible for serving breakfast and dinner to two outdoor cats (including “CC” pictured above during one of our hide and seek games) is a big deal, especially when you need to stand guard to fend off those pesky “jungle fowl” (aka roosters and hens) !

It’s not a hard job, of course, but you have more time to think and realize how important it is. Doing fewer things in retirement but having more time to be aware of what I am doing has been a blessing. Not having a full-time job makes you aware that the little jobs bring a level of satisfaction that was not present before. Chores like feeding pets, which might have been done without much thought or perceived as an interruption to a busy life, are now pleasures.

Labor Day is about big issues related to justice for workers, issues which have not gone away. But it is also a day to thank God for those daily labors of love, things that make our hearts sing, ordinary opportunities to do what needs to be done, while we can still do them and enjoy them.

Including feeding God’s creatures.

The hymn that brings this all together for me (which I always picked for this weekend and am introducing here at All Saints, Kapa’a) includes this verse:

“Every task, however simple, sets the soul that does it free

Every deed of human kindness, done in love is done to thee

Jesus, thou divine Companion, help us all to work our best

Bless us in our daily labor, lead us to our Sabbath rest.”

                                   Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)

John