The stucco on our house was in desperate need of repair and a paint job. In order to get to those jobs we had to remove all the vines on that have overtaken our house. So one Saturday, in the midst of a 113 degree day in August (phew!), Dave, Lu and I got to work. And I realized once again the power in a family work project.
We knew it would be a big job, and it was actually even bigger than we anticipated. I mean, those puppies were plastered into that stucco and there were a LOT of them.
Before and after on this little part:
Before, during and after:
What is that you say? You don’t see Lucy in these photos?
Well, she was there doing the jobs she could. Here she is picking up the scraps after filling the trash can with vines:
It’s tricky finding jobs that work sometimes, but she was in it with us…at least at the beginning.
Working together toward a common goal
Anyway, my point is that I was reminded once again the power in working together toward a common goal. And the satisfaction of accomplishing a project together. Whether it is taking down vines or doing a service project or creating a new family system or pulling off you-name-it together, there is synergy when you work together. And also joy.
We loaded up load after load of those vines in the truck and Dave took them to the dump while I did a bunch of clean-up. Sure it was hot. We were pretty worn out, heat exhausted, dirty as could be and bug-bitten by the time we were done. But oh we were all so satisfied as we examined the fruits of our family project.
Other posts about creating synergy in work projects
- Working together with the Lutheran Church
- Creating a Family Economy
- A Summer Paint Project with my Girls
Sorry, have to include a photo of that one because now I’m going down memory lane:
113?! My sympathies. Do the vines help keep your house a little cooler?
No, I think trees help with the shade, but the vines, while beautiful, just dig into the stucco and really overtook our walls.