My Dad was a hard worker. From the time he was very young right up until just before he passed away, his German-bred work ethic drove him to labor hard and long and taught us to do the same. During his 60 years as a full-time taxidermist, this served him well. It was always interesting to see what customers would carry into his shop for him to “put the life back into.”
Dad often said he’d like to see all the deer heads he’d ever mounted all in a pile. If he ever did, that pile would have been very tall, for he did mostly deer and sometimes mounted up to 300 bucks per year. Although this was the high-water mark, if he averaged just 100 heads annually, that conservative estimate would put him at 6,000 deer plus squirrels, bear, skunks, foxes, snakes, fish, and all the rest.
After closing his business to retire, he nearly went crazy with nothing to do and began taking in a few heads from longtime customers. Fortunately, he included family in this group, and in 2007, I was blessed to harvest an average 8-point.
Since I already had other deer heads Dad had mounted, I only wanted him to cover these antlers with leather. But he insisted on mounting this buck for me despite my resistance. I didn’t even know where I would hang it, but you should only argue with your father for so long.
Including my buck, Dad had only taken in ten heads that fall, and mine just happened to be the last of those he mounted. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was starting with a brain tumor from which he passed in 2009. In retrospect, you can understand how very thankful I now am that I allowed him to do a full shoulder mount of that buck.
Although none of us, including Dad, knew this would be his last head, he put the same time, expertise, and skill into that one as he had all the prior ones. You could say that all the experience he’d gained on the 6,000+ previous heads was collected in this final work.
We probably won’t realize it at the time, but one day we’ll all mount our final head, preach our final sermon, cook our final meal, or pound our final nail. What will be its quality? Although age impacts our abilities as we get older, we should still do our very best on every task, for each is ultimately not only a testimony to our own skill and reputation, but a reflection on our great God who gifted us to do certain things well. Our work can be a form of worshiping God, as His Word tells us to work hard as unto the Lord.
As we consider my dad’s last piece of taxidermy, may every deed we do each day glorify God, bring Him praise, and reflect well on us, for it may be our last.
Pastor George Bowers
