DID YOU EVER LOOK BACK ON SOMETHING SOMEONE YOU RESPECT SAID AT SOME POINT IN YOUR PAST AND THINK, 'MAN, THEY WERE RIGHT....WHAT A GOOD LESSON"?

That recently happened to me. I remember one time when I was about 24 years old, my dad, my brother-in-law and I were trying to spread topsoil in a big area of the church lawn. Man, that pile of soil was HUGE. It seemed like the more we worked, the bigger the pile got. And, it was HOT. We were sweating, getting blisters, getting sunburned, and in the case of my brother-in-law and I, CRYING LIKE BABIES.

"It's sooooooooooo hot!" "I'm tired!" "My hands hurt." Blah, blah, blah. My dad? He said nothing. AFTER ABOUT 8 HOURS, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND I QUIT.  "We'll finish tomorrow", we said. My dad kept working.

So, we left. Went and had some beer.

The next day, we went back to continue working, and to our surprise, THE PILE WAS GONE! It was all moved! Every last speck. We couldn't believe it. "Dad!" I asked, "how did you do it? Did some people show up to help? How did you ever move that whole pile?"

My dad, in his infinite wisdom, looked me right in the eyes and said in a regular voice:

"One shovelful at a time."

Photos courtesy of Phil Bracey and Drew Tedlock.