Work is a Blessing

I grew up in Lakeland,LA,one of 12 children. We all lived on my parents'farm. We grew cotton,corn and had a large garden,but it didn't bring in much cash. 26 We milked 65 cows at 5 in the morning and again at2 in the afternoon,seven days a week.

One Saturday before daylight,I remember complaining to my father and grandfather about having to milk those cows.My father said,"You know,boy,to work is a blessing." 27 However,it took many years before it sank in.

Going to college was a rare privilege for a kid from Lakeland. 28 So I joined the ROTC program to help pay for college.And what started out as an obligation to the Army became a way of life that I stayed committed to for 37 years,three months and three days.

In the late 1980s,during a visit to Bangladesh,I saw a woman with a baby on her back, breaking bricks with a hammer.I asked a Bangladesh military officer why they weren't using a machine,which would have been a lot easier. 29 Breakingthose bricks meant she could earn enough money to feed herself and her baby that day.And as bad as that woman's job was, it was enough to keep a small family alive. 30

A.I don't think I will ever quit working

B.However,I still wanted to go to college.

C.He told me a machine would put that lady out of work.

D.I had a feeling I had been told something really important.

E. It reminded me of my father's words:To work is a blessing.

F.So when I was 12,I got a part-time job helping to milk cows.