Life Lessons with Dad

By Leah Hop
 Introduction

Growing up, my faith was a huge part of my life. I was raised by Chistian parents into a

community where everyone went to church twice a Sunday. They sent me to a Christian school

all my life as well. While some may think that my parents were shoving their beliefs onto me or

that they have brainwashed me since infancy, I am forever grateful that they raised me to be a

good, sound Christian. Going to church every Sunday and school in between was vital in

molding me to who I am today and strengthening my faith for the trials of adulthood. The things

they taught me stuck because they could tell me why it was important. For example, working to

the best of your ability in everything you do is important because it is something God commands

us to do. This command can be found in Colossians 3:23, “​And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily,

as to the Lord, and not unto men;” ​Other things are important because we show our thankfulness

to God for our salvation through them.

 Child Labor Laws

Out of all the many things my dad has taught me, the lesson that stuck with me the best

was his work ethic. Ever since I could walk, I have spent every Saturday working around our

house with him. Sure, most of the time I was watching him do all the work, but I still learned a

lot from watching him give it his all and keep trying when things don’t work the first time.

He is the reason that when I got the text asking me if I could help hoe the fields next

week, I said yes immediately. I knew I was free every morning, so why not? I never stopped to

think about how exhausted I would be by the end of the week, seeing as I had to work a closing

shift at Freddy’s every night that week too. Even if I had, I am never one to turn down work. My

dad has always told me to work to the best of my ability. Would saying no because I wanted to

sleep in be working hard?

Monday came and I popped out of bed at 5:30 AM, pulled on my athletic shorts and

t-shirt, and ran down the stairs. I brewed myself a cup of coffee and was on my way. As I pulled

in, I saw my favorite coworker's car. Excited, I reached into the backseat to grab my water and

realized with dread that I had forgotten to bring lunch. What a great start to the week.

I ran to the tractor that Riki, my favorite coworker, was starting up and hopped onto the

wagon. As I looked around at everybody else I realized I didn’t know any of them and they all

looked like they were twelve year olds. Great.

As we pulled up to the pumpkin fields, I grabbed one of the good hoes and walked over

to Riki. I leaned in and asked her who all these kids were. She told me she had no clue either. I

looked over at the kids who were all standing around clueless. This is going to be a long week.
 I told them to all grab a hoe and follow me so that I could show them how to do it. I made

sure they all knew to never push the hoe into the weeds, but pull the hoe back to chop the weeds.

I handed them all good hoes and Riki assigned them rows to start on.

Everyone stayed working nicely until 10:00 AM when we took our lunch break. I was

pleasantly surprised. Besides never shutting up, most of them were better workers than I

expected. However, I spoke too soon. As it got hotter and hotter, I got hungrier and hungrier.

Everything they were doing started annoying me. Everyone got sick of working and started

working slower. Time started dragging on. I had to keep reminding myself to work hard and not

slow down when everyone else did. It was noon, when we usually leave, and we were no where

close to where we had to be before leaving for the day. We ended up staying until 1:30 PM in

order to finish all our rows for the day. We left the hoes on the wagon for the next day and

clocked out.

I was completely exhausted and starving, but my day was nowhere near being over. As

soon as I got home, I started eating anything I could find. Once satisfied, I dragged myself up the

stairs to shower. I scrubbed all the sweat and dirt off of me only to put on grease stained jeans

and my smelly Freddy’s shirt. When 11:00 PM finally rolled around, I couldn’t have been

happier.

After a long and repetitive week, Saturday finally came and I could sleep in. Even though

it had been exhausting, I had a fun week. Best of all, I worked hard just like my Dad taught me,

even though I grumbled and complained through most of it. Giving work your all isn’t easy, but

it is necessary and rewarding.

 Employee of the Month

In addition to teaching me to work hard in everything that I do, my Dad also taught me

that quality is just as important as quantity. Working hard isn’t about just giving your all and

having a good attitude, although those are vital. What makes you a truly hard worker is your

quality of work.

That teaching is why I was so excited when my manager told me that I was Employee of

the Month for January 2020. I had barely started, being hired in the beginning of the previous

November, but she told me that I went above and beyond what was required of me and always

exceeded expectations. I had a consistent 45% email conversion and usually got two Old Navy

cards every five hour shift. I was always on the list of top twenty employees in the district, which

includes most of the state of Michigan. My numbers were off the charts and I never left a

customer dissatisfied.

This award was truly a shock to me. Just the night before, I left work feeling emotionally

drained. We were dead and the few customers I did have were awful towards me and my

coworkers, no matter how nicely we treated them. After closing for the night, at least three of my

coworkers sent me videos of them crying because the night was so bad. We were all feeling

downcast and discouraged. This achievement reminded me to not get discouraged by the bad

days. Bad days are inevitable, but there are always three more good days coming to make up for

it.

That blue paper with a picture of me and some nice words on it surrounded by a flimsy

white frame might not seem to be much to anyone else who sees it, but it means so much to me.

It means that I have done my duty well. It proves that I keep a good attitude always, and treat
everyone with kindness. It proves that no matter what happened, I never give up. No matter what

happens, I always work hard.

Now, everytime I walk into the break room and see my face on the wall, I’m reminded to

keep working hard. Not only because it impresses my managers or because of all the fun days at

work, but because I was taught to work hard not just in the workplace but in all things I do to the

glory of God. James 1:17 reads, “​Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and

cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of

turning.” ​God gave me gifts and talents specific to me. It would be a mockery of Him not to use

them as best as I am able and for the service of those around me. He has given me the gifts to be

good at talking to strangers and making friends. I must use that gift in my customer service in

order to glorify my Father’s name.

 Lead by Example

Hard work is one of those things that is taught best by example. All throughout my

childhood my Dad would balance his deacon duties with his fifty hour work week and a full

Saturday of overtime. He only ever complained when he was sick, even during the scorching hot

summers and freezing cold winters. Although my Dad was an excellent example of hard work to

me, that’s not who the focus is on this chapter.

Last year, I spent my fall working at Post Family Farm. I would work everyday after

school as well as all day each Saturday. I was super busy always working, but I loved it. I loved

the jobs I did and got along with my coworkers really well. Mondays and Tuesdays would be

spent with my coworker Mya in the kitchen. Wednesdays and Thursdays I would work by myself

mowing the 40 acres of lawn. On Fridays and Saturdays, I would run all of our evening events

for the day. Almost everything I did I did alongside my coworker Braden. Although he never

worked in the kitchen, on the days I would mow the lawns, he would string trim the grounds. On

Fridays and Saturdays, there would be so many evening events that we would tackle them

together.

Whenever I misplaced the counter weights or ratchet straps for the mower, Braden would

be on the other side of the barn yelling to me exactly where they had been misplaced. He claims

he never touched anything, but there’s no way every time something I needed, something that I

used almost every day, wasn’t in the correct spot. He always knew exactly where it was. That’s

suspicious to me.

After reminding me how stupid and forgetful I am, he would help me put the bagger onto

the back of the mower. The bagger was large, heavy, and awkward so it always needed two

people to be put on and taken off. Late in the season when he wasn’t there, I tried to take it off by
myself and dropped it onto my foot and broke one of my little toes, but never told him. I dreaded

what he would have said. I had always insisted that I was a strong, independent woman and

didn’t really need his help.

In all seriousness, Braden was a very hard worker. He never complained about always

working with me even though I never stopped talking. When we would do evening events

together, I would find myself distracted by doing other jobs or helping other people who asked

me questions. Once I finally got around to starting event preparations, he always had already

done it for me even though it was my job to do, not his. It seemed like every time I was

overwhelmed with the amount of urgent tasks I had waiting for me, Braden had always done half

of them already. It definitely made up for me never being able to find him when I needed him,

whether it was his help or a question only he could answer.

Braden taught me to always seek to help others and to focus not just on getting your own

work done, but helping others around you as much as you are able. He constantly pushed back

his own work to help out those struggling with too much. He always offered to stay later for me

so I could go home earlier, especially on Saturdays when I would start early donuts at 6 AM.

Hard work isn’t just powering through your own tasks, but ensuring that everything is getting

done properly and on time, even if it is someone else’s responsibility. Braden was a great

example to me of putting others before yourself and remaining selfless.

Where I’m From by Leah Hop

I am from sharpie smiley faces,

From unsweetened applesauce and expensive perfume.

I am from the beige house at the edge of the woods, (towering oaks, overgrown flowers,

dogs barking in the distance.)

I am from poison ivy,

lurking dangerously in the woods and creeping ever so closer.

I’m from Sunday night milkshakes and ADHD,

From Uncle Tim and Grandma Hop.

I’m from the strong and stubborn opinions and loud sneezes,

From “Who wants to untie my work boots” and “Run to Grandpa’s for some eggs”

I’m from worn down bibles and loudly sung Psalter numbers.

I’m from Dutch immigrants,

oliebollen fried fresh every New Year, appelbeignet on the side.

From the teeth my sister lost in a fight with a waterslide,

The scar on the backside of my Dad’s scull from yet another dangerous accident.

I am from filling the shelves of the dusty cabinet, album after album,

memories of all the joy and love.

 30 BEFORE 30  
 
1. ​Get Married  16. See a jungle 

2. Have at least one kid  17. Improve my shot with a 

pistol 
3. Do something crazy to my 
hair 
18. See the Northern Lights 
4. Learn how to drive a manual  19. Meet a famous person 
5. Travel outside of the country  20. Ride in a hot air balloon 
6. See all 50 states  21. Own a snake 
7. Have my own house  22. Make my own clothes 
8. Learn another language  23. See a NASCAR race 
9. Paint one of Grandma’s  24. Camp in the middle of the 
cowboy references  woods 

10. Fly in a helicopter  25. Renovate a van, bus, or RV 

11. Get rid of my fear of geese  26. Volunteer regularly 
12. Go skydiving  27. Learn how to play a new 
instrument 
13. Hike an actual mountain 
28. Experience zero gravity 
14. Get a dog 
29. Graffiti something 
15. Learn how to horseback ride 
better 
30. Learn how to start a fire 
without matches
 Conclusion

Just yesterday, I found myself complaining about my long shift to my coworker before

stopping and realizing my mistake. Although I was taught to work hard and do, it’s not always

without complaining. It should be, (Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmurings and

disputings.”) yet rarely is. With the calling of hard work tackled, eliminating my abundant

grumbling and complaining is my next task, especially as I am moving on to my lifelong career

and begin to work full time instead of part time.

 Leah Corinne Hop was born in Grand Rapids, MI in January 2003. She was raised by

both parents alongside her three older sisters and one younger brother in their house on

Riverbend Drive. She went to Hope Protestant Reformed Christian School from Kindergarten in

2009 until graduating from eight grade in 2017. Two years later, her uncle and grandmother both

passed away within a month. At age seventeen, her childhood home burnt down. In 2021, she

graduated from Covenant Chrisitan High School. Despite the hardships on her life, Hop found

comfort in her faith in God. She has attended Hope Protestant Reformed Church for the entirety

of her life.