Since I met you, you have always known what to do with your hands. They have molded children. They have held a wife in both her moments of biggest triumph and in her darkest hours. Your hands have also been the instruments of good work. You invested the wisdom of your years in finding something you learned to do well and making your mark. I am so proud of you and your hands.
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If the work you have done can truly speak for you, it says you are a leader who understands good service to the people who follow you. I have watched you hire, train and groom many people over the course of your career. Your life as a dedicated worker has forever changed the lives of others for the better.
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These shoes that come off at the door every day you return home from work are now retiring. They will not leave me every day to meet others. They will not trudge the sidewalks of our city or the carpets of any corporation. They are home to stay, and this means you are, too.
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This moment is for a man who understands how to really build something. It does not happen in the course of a day, a few hours or even a few years. Building is lifelong, and it is something that only a man who knows the value of persevering can undertake. Look at what you have built: a family, a community, a life of work.
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Our lives and our city would never have been the same if you had not chosen to live and work here. You have been a champion worker who have always worked to make every space a little better than it was when you found it. Because this place has been touched by you, all of our lives have been a good journey.
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We came to this place uncertain of ourselves. We did not know how we were going to become who we were meant to be, but part of the reason we did become those people is because of the work you have done. Thank you for doing the kind of stellar work and makes it easy to be your partner for life.
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What the world sees when they measure all the good work you have done is near perfection. You always make a good impression and a strong finish. What our family sees is the sweat, perseverance and worry that go into creating perfection. We have watched you sometimes work with nothing and build everything around us. Yours is a life that always does us proud.
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While you have been away at work, our children have finished school and married. Our grandchildren have learned to walk and talk like their parents. Neighbors have come and gone. The plants in our garden have seen their respective seasons of blooming and rest. The one thing that has not changed is how hard you have worked to make our lives better. Everyone who has come through the doors of our home owes a debt to you.
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I have never known you in a time when you did not work. Even the small things around our home that needed some loving care always got your attention. I now hope you can give this attention to yourself. No hard working man deserves it more than you.
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A new season of your life begins with your retirement. In your season of youth, you were free to explore the world and make your mark in it. In your middle years, you taught others to do the same. Now, in the season of your retirement, you can enjoy all you have created over the course of a career. You will now explore the world and let it make its indelible mark on you.