LABOR OF LOVE

Do you have a labor of love? A purpose for which you ceaselessly toil, taking on and overcoming all obstacles that stand in your way, in pursuit of that which makes your heart sing?

My Dad does. It's his garden. At 89 years old and with a career as a carpenter and joiner behind him, each morning he pulls on his 'wellies' (rubber boots) and weather permitting, strides out into his beautiful English garden where he's ready to take on anything. Flood, drought, slugs, pigeons, clay-like soil, inclement weather and unmotivated plants - he's seen it all and he's on it. Dad's obvious love and enthusiasm seems to transmit itself to the plants he tends, all of which seem to be rippling with life and vigor as expressed through beautiful blooms and abundant produce; the whole thing is a joy to behold.

Labors of love tend to do that. They have a positive transformative effect on the laborer, the object of the laborers' labor and others who bear witness to the process or its outcome.

During the final weeks of August the Minnesota State Fair is a great testament to labors of love. From the stillness of the huge barns where the 4H teenagers sleep each night with their prize cows, to the seed-art exhibits where people painstakingly recreate topical and cultural masterpieces out of tiny seeds; labors of love are in the air and their pungent aromas are heady.

Some people are fortunate enough to be paid for their labors of love. Their career is in the realm of their giftedness and everyday they leap out of bed in pursuit of the next great adventure in their beloved professional field.

'If I were Queen' this would be the norm. Starting at the very earliest ages we would be encouraged in the direction of things we do uniquely well, provided with resources and support to develop real skills and talents in the areas we love, and then cheered on as we soar on the fair winds of our success.

And I'm not that naive.

Whilst labors of love look glorious and have much to recommend them, labors for love are in a nobility class of their own. Many people endure endless hours of work that isn't fulfilling and is sometimes downright humiliating to earn enough money to support the children, the elderly, the sick, the poor, the down-on-their-luck, the war-ravaged, the orphan, the immigrant, the very least of these. These labors provide the invaluable and often invisible service of keeping the hearts of others beating...and for labor I am both humbled and grateful.

On this Labor Day 2018, I wish you the richest fruits of your labors of and for love.