THE BUILDER

 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.