Pressure makes Diamonds

Diamonds are only lumps of coal

that stuck to their jobs.

Coal, isn't something I think much about. I recall several friends growing up who had coal stoves in their houses and they had to shovel coal into a bin often. I remember those homes in the winter and they were warmer than the ones that had oil furnaces. I remember reading about folks in Wales who came back each night from the coal fields singing. I have several stories of past relatives who were coal miners. My great grandmother had two brothers who were coal miners. I really like the song coal miners daughter by the way. I also quite like this quote above. I think the best advice anyone could give a young person starting a career who wanted to succeed is to "show up". Sticking to the job is good too.

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I was thinking a little about the words to Coal Miners daughter and oddly enough I had just looked through my Grandfathers journal.

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My mothers dad also worked in the mines. He wrote in his journal of being buried alive in a tunnel cave in. Looking closer at this journal I noticed how he stuck to it. He said he worked hard. He talked of hard times. Layoffs. Temporary work. In one paragraph he says they "put in the crops, hauled wood for the winter and took care of the hay" He added that they were happy. The family was together. They worked hard.