What a perfect day for a game of golf. Mountain stream trout fishing sounds good. The basketball hoop is still, just waiting for a little shoot around. A quick jaunt on the bike through the park soaking up the warm, spring sun would be perfect.
But no. They chose this.
The brothers took time for dad. And yep, it’s spring. It’s time to clean out the gutters. But not just on the ladder reaching up to grab the mucky sopping leaves and toss them out onto the yard. Nope. This is cleaning the gutters the way dad used to do, back when dad didn’t need to ask anyone for help.
He would hop onto the ladder and then onto the roof with the hose in hand and thoroughly wash out every corner in each section of gutter. Mom was alwaysthe helper-cheerleader, the ladder holder, the final picker-upper. It just made him feel great to know when the time came for the huge rainstorm, there would be absolutely no clogged drain crowning his home! He was ready.
Yes, it’s true. There was more than just a hint of OCD wrapped up in that gutter ritual. But it sure made for a happy man when the rain would start.
And of course, the guys knew dad would be looking forward to sparkling gutters, after all, the snow melted a couple of weeks ago and the days just keep tickin’ by! Somehow, the winds of last autumn weaved the little honey locust leaves and twig stems into a nice, tight, half-inch mat cushioning the winter snow and perfectly lining every gutter channel. And obviously, the mounds of matted gutter mess couldn’t just be thrown to the ground, it all needed to be containerized properly. After all, why clean it up twice, right?
You get the picture. If you’re going to do a job, do it right. It’s always been that way with dad. The guys knew that before they started. And yet, they started. They offered to clean dad’s gutters the way dad likes it done.
It really warmed my heart. They laughed and talked the whole time. They’re both grown men. They both have hectic, demanding, jobs. There are a million other activities much higher on their lists of things they either need to do or would rather do together.
But they took the time and they gave it to dad. It was a deliberate choice. It was love in action.
The gutters sparkle.