Each week there is a celebration in our home. It begins early on Wednesday morning and includes singing, cheers, and some occasional dancing – it’s also included tears when one of the boys sleeps through the first phase. The celebration isn’t something my wife or I started; it began with one of our youngest son’s fascinations.

Each Wednesday morning, we hear the tell-tale screech and both the boys bolt out of bed and rush to the window to begin the celebration for a much needed, yet seldom recognized group of men, the “garb men” – known to you and me as garbage men.

My youngest son, Alex, loves big trucks and a garbage truck certainly qualifies. On trash day, they rush to the window for each wave (refuse, plastic & glass, and paper) of collection, scream “garb men”, and watch in fascination. Some days they simply return to what they were doing when the truck moves on, but on other days they run around singing praise to the garbage men – it’s quite a spectacle.

It may seem funny, but this celebration is one of the things that concerned me about moving. I accepted a new position in a different part of the country and one of the things I’ve been wondering is – will garbage day be too early or too late in the day for the celebration? We’re staying with friends for now and the kids were able to see the new garbage men – it wasn’t the same celebration, but the men were appreciated none the less.

There are a lot of things that we take for granted – jobs that people do that are necessary for our society to function, but jobs that I often overlook; things I take for granted. I realize that we can’t have a party every day for all the people that make our lives what they are, but my sons are certainly showing me that we can take the time to appreciate them more often.

Hurray for all of our civil servants and community helpers.