I remember...my dad's lunch box

I was thinking earlier today about my dad's old lunch box. I'm not sure what made me think of this but I haven't thought of it for a long time and I'm kind of surprised that such a mundane item made such an impression on me. But it did.

When I was younger, my dad packed his metal lunch box and took it to work every day. I have no idea what he packed because he abhors leftovers (much like myself). Nevertheless, I remember that lunch box sitting on the counter waiting for my dad to take it with him in the morning when he left for work.

I remember the lunch box being one of those old fashioned dome lunch boxes that are reminiscent of something a construction worker would take to work. I don't remember what color it was, but if I close my eyes, I can remember how the cool metal felt when you held it and the noise the handle made when you picked it up or set it down. Funny how the memory works.

So I've been wondering why I remember this and why it matters. Here's what I think:

The lunch box represents (to me) how hard working my parents are. From early on in my childhood, I have seen through their example the importance of hard work. Nothing was handed to my parents on a silver platter, they had to work hard for everything they now have. They had goals they had made for themselves and their family, then they did whatever it took to reach those goals.

When my parents built the house they are living in now, my dad worked his full-time job during the day, then a second job at night. My mom has told me how, through the years, managing money sometimes meant being creative with the bills and other expenses associated with raising 4 children. During the early years, my parents would take us out to eat once a month--McDonalds for an inexpensive Big Mac.

Thinking of my dad taking his lunch to work with him in that old box, reminds me how important it is to pray hard--then work hard. Just doing one in the equation doesn't work as well. They taught me that.

I hope I can show my children how important hard work is. Whether that means working hard in the home, the garden, at church, or at a job. Children notice those things, and learn from them.

Even if my parents had not told me verbally the importance of hard work (though they did), they showed me. And that has taught me more than any words ever could.