I sit, alone but not lonely,
In the early morning dark of an empty house.
I listen to the sound of coffee dripping
Into the small  pot in the cheap coffee maker
That sits on an old, heavily stained formica counter.

There is much in this house that needs work:
Slightly rotted floor in the old bathroom,
Two broken joists beneath the floor of the entryway,
Windows stubborn in their tracks, 
And old wiring that didn't meet standards 
Even when it was first installed. 
And old wires are not like wine and violins. 

This is the second week 
My son and I have worked on this place together, 
But much of the work he will do alone.
It is the same way that his father worked
And his grandfather before them both.

There are times in life 
When we share the blessing of work 
With someone else helping to lighten the load
And times when we bear that work alone.

But it is always good whenever we do good work,
And there is not much work that is better
Then getting a home ready for living.

Whether twisting beneath the floor joists
To lift up and put in insulation in the crawl space,
Or flattened out in the attic
Underneath the low slope of the roof,
Wiring in the ventilation fan,

Preparing a place for those we love
Is not completely unlike the labors of heaven.