Dignity: A Tribute to Laborers- Kathy DeNicolo

300 bolts and screws spilled onto the pavement, but what two fit together? Who could pull the right combo on the first draw? He could. That’s mastery! No applause, no one to see but me, the perfect fit that got the job done. No fanfare, just another move in a workday lasting 5:00 a.m.– 9:00 pm.in a seven-day week. Cramped and working on a wooden board or over cold cement was usual. He faced the underbelly of a truck, while replacing some decayed pipe.

His hands were often stained from work, his soul was spotless. He worked long hours without complaint. Frequently donating his spare time to help assemble toys at holidays, cut grass on an acre of land not his own, give folks a car ride rather than see them straddle 3 or 4 busses to go home.

The addresses changed, the man didn’t. Call it the right moves from Carbonara, Gary, California, Chicago , Florida— fast feet but always a steady landing. The people’s man? Without a doubt! Hardworking. His name was celebrated in holidays and feasts. His name was Joseph, and he was my beloved father.