Recently I have really been a bit down and almost depressed. I have been somewhat ineffective in my work, strong stresses within my school board, and some family issues all had me discouraged. It was very tempting to just sit in a dark room and read, watch tv and just basicly “cave”. A very male conclusion to come to.

As the weekend approached an unfinshed project came to mind. This last year my wife’s grandmother passed away and she inherited a very old victorian bed. It had the original oil and wax finish on it from decades ago and badly needed to be refinished. So I grabbed my son Saturday morning and we went over to our warehouse to work on it.

As we sat there sanding and detailing for seven hours on these large chunks of walnut something miraculous happened within us both physically and spritually. As we worked the age off of this beautiful wood we worked the darkness off of us. As the day wore on and we had exposed the bare grain of this piece we were both almost grinning from ear to ear. What a shift from the darkness we started in.

Where would we have been if we just watched tv all day? Would our mental state have improved thus? I think not. There is something about creating something that triggers something deep within us. It was not just a pride of accomplishment, it was more than that. I would call it a fulfilment of purpose, being plugged into real life.

The next time a friend or family member is depressed or discouraged, be the person to give them your hand and help them out of it. Find an interest they have and help them create someting. It could be baking a pie, writing cards, playing music, writing poetry, planting flowers, fixing a car or even catching a fish. Helping them create value will heal their aching soul.

It will help yours also because we were created that way.