My Thoughts

Grew up hearing “Good enough is never good enough” which, I suppose, buys much the same advice as Yoda’s “No! Try not! Do or do not. There is no try.” Of course, the one I heard most often, because I most often needed to be reminded of it, was “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right,” (Hunter S. Thompson) though most often appended with “the first time.”

“Patience is a virtue” most often wasted on the young and foolish—apologies for the repetition—as I can certainly attest to once resembling that remark. Somewhen during my youth and youthful impatience I learned the virtue of patience; I have well-remembered it now for more than half a century.

My parents and grandparents were graduates of the Great Depression and global conflict. They had known want on a scale unimaginable to anyone who has come after them. There were no modern conveniences, no television, no video games, no Walmart, Costco, or Home Depot, no Internet, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, no smartphones; most of all there was no money: cash or credit. There was not much except what you could make or grow using the two hands, two feet and the mind the good Lord had given you. You didn’t waste anything because there was too little of it to go round, let alone, to waste.

Which brings me back to the virtue of patience.

During my high school years, we lived in a 100-years old house (built sometime in the early 1800s.) Houses of that era seldom had closets, rather they were furnished with armoires or wardrobes. My father and his father decided to build a closet along one side of my parents’ bedroom, a task, to my teenage mind, easy-peasy, quick and easy: just saw, nail, paint, done! Patience, young skywalker, patience. For two days, two long, exasperating days, father and grandfather measured, remeasured, remeasured, talked, discussed, remeasured, talked, discussed, remeasured. It was enough to drive any teenage boy mad, mad, mad! Total Insanity!

Then, day three. Father and grandfather went to the workshop, cut every piece of trim, every board, every door, shelf, and wallboard, never once returning to reconsider their measures. They knew and they were right. There were no mistakes, no redos, not a single correction to be made. And son was well and truly humbled. Learned the virtue of patience, he did. Never forgot it, no he did not. Do or do not. There is no try. Good enough is never good enough. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right the first time.

There are lessons to be learned which teachers will not, cannot teach. One of them is patience. It is a virtue well worth learning, knowing, keeping, having. Wake up America!

Just my thoughts for a Tuesday, for what it is worth.

About the author: Deacon Chuck

Deacon Chuck was ordained into the permanent diaconate on September 17, 2011, in the ministry of service to the Diocese of Reno and assigned to St. Albert the Great Catholic Community. He currently serves as the parish bulletin editor and website administrator. Deacon Chuck continues to serve the parish of Saint Albert the Great Catholic Community of the Diocese of Reno, Nevada. He is the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Homebound Ministries for the parish, conducts frequent adult faith formation workshops, and is a regular homilist. He currently serves as the bulletin editor for the parish bulletin. He writes a weekly column intended to encompass a broad landscape of thoughts and ideas on matters of theology, faith, morals, teachings of the magisterium and the Catholic Church; they are meant to illuminate, illustrate, and catechize the readers and now number more than 230 articles. His latest endeavor is "Colloqui: A journal for restless minds", a weekly journal of about 8 pages similar in content to bulletin reflections. All his reflections, homilies, commentaries, and Colloqui are posted and can be found on his website: http://deaconscorner.org. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. He is the author of two books: "The Voices of God: hearing God in the silence" which offers the reader insights into how to hear God’s voice through all of the noise that surrounds us; and "Echoes of Love: Effervescent Memories" which through a combination of prose and verse provides the reader with a wonderful journey on the way to discovering forever love. He regularly speaks to groups of all ages and size and would welcome the opportunity to speak to your group.

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