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THE HOUSE YOU BUILD

 An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his  employer contractor of
 his plans to leave the house-building business  and live a more leisurely life
 with his wife, enjoying his extended  family. He would miss the paycheck, but
 he needed to retire. They  could  get by.  The contractor was sorry to see his
 good worker go and asked  if he could build just one more house as a personal
 favor.  The carpenter said yes, but  in time it was easy to see that his heart
 was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior
 materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter
 finished his work and the builder came to  inspect  the house, the contractor
 handed the front-door key to the carpenter.>> "This is your house," he said,
 "my gift to you." What a shock! What a  shame! If he had only known he was
 building his own house, he would  have done it all so differently. Now he had
 to live in the home he had  built none too well. So it is with us. We build
 our lives in a  distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up
 less  than  the best. At important points we do not give the job our best
effort.  Then with a shock we look at  the situation we have created and
find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized,
 we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter.
 Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board,
 or  erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build.
 Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves
 to be lived  graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says,
 "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly?
 Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the  past.
 Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices
 you make today.>> What type of house are you building?

                   ~~author unknown  ~~~