Meaningful Labour

I received a phone call on Friday morning from one of our daughters which made a dad's heart glad. She had just received a promotion at work, much to her delight. This has been an interesting two years for her, doing an unpaid internship as part of her education as a graphic designer, then being offered a job with the company for a seamless transition into the working world. Now her hard work and creativity are being rewarded with a promotion, fifteen months or so into full-time employment.

This is not the story for every post-secondary school graduate. In fact we heard this week that those with general arts degrees may end up being paid less than if they had gone immediately into the work force. In our daughter's case she graduated with an arts degree, then spent three more years training for a diploma in design.  During her education she worked as a waitress all during the school year, balancing shifts and classes. In the first months of employment she wondered if she would be further ahead at the waitressing job a short distance away from home because of the cost of commuting. With raises along the way that has changed.

After I got off the phone it occurred to me that I had just finished the Prayers of the People for Sunday in which I had picked up on the Labour Day theme:

We remember this morning those who feel overburdened by the demands of their employment and who wonder how they will fulfill what they are expected to do. Give them wisdom and stamina in the challenges of the workplace. We bring to you the unemployed, the under-employed, the  mal-employed whose desire is to make a living and experience the dignity of doing a job well. We think of those who are disappointed and discouraged and want a wage which allows an acceptable quality of life.

It felt as though my prayers had been answered in our own family.

What are your thoughts about your own work?  What is it like for those of you who have retired and no longer have that defining portion of your life? What about work for our children and grandchildren?