Creating Beautiful Work
Beautiful Work in a Get it Done World
A number of years ago, our grade 12 college math class set out to build a patio in the back of Hamilton District Christian High. As many of you might remember, the space was not a place for people to hang out: it wasn’t the most beautiful place on the campus.
As the class worked through the project, they were blessed by the many experts who joined them in making this project a reality. One particular expert was John Alblas from Williams Landscaping. And while John’s handiwork and ‘get it done’ drive was insurmountable it was his perspective on Beautiful Work that will always have a lasting impression on me and I believe, on our students.
Here is how he did it:
Early in the project, John would come to the class and answer as many questions as he could. It was a way for Mr. Webb to get the answers to the questions the students were asking that really only John could answer.
One day during one of John’s visits, nearing the end of the class, a couple of the grade 12 students were lamenting that they were building a patio which they wouldn’t really have a chance to enjoy. The project completion date was to be June 1st, 25 days before they graduated, and 6 days before classes ended. There was a spirit of disappointment and even a question of ‘why are we even doing this?’ This is when John spoke some of the greatest wisdom to the class. John overheard the comments and stopped the class to make a statement that potentially changed the project.
“And one more thing,” there was a hush in the room, and John pointedly stated: “this project isn’t about you” John then shared that, as a landscaper, he works day in and day out, week after week to design and build beautiful things for other people to enjoy. He doesn’t do the work for himself. It is always for others.
Beautiful Work blesses others
In that moment, John shaped the minds and hearts of these students, who began to consider that the beautiful work we do isn’t for our own benefit. We work with all our hearts to make beautiful things that bless others and honour God. Because of this, we have spaces like our back patio, built by a class that finished it, graduated, and moved on to new things. Those individual students haven’t had the time to really enjoy the space, but it is beautiful and is enjoyed regularly by students, staff, and guests to Hamilton District Christian High.
If this grade 12 class just got the project done, without this perspective of why we create beautiful things, it would have just been a project. However, with perspective and purpose, the patio has become a beautiful place to be. And in fact, these students still speak with pride about their involvement in creating and building it.
Thank you, John, for giving those students – and us – a broader perspective on why we work and who we serve.
Nathan Siebenga
Principal