Archive for September 19th, 2006
It's hot, it's muggy, and it's a lot of work … man it's a good time. Today our group split into three teams to work on different houses. One team painted trim all day on a house that's almost finished and ready for the owner to move into. Another team painted a house and put together a sizable, wooden car port. I went with a team to drywall a house. My day consisted of mudding and taping three rooms of drywall. I believe that each team was able to meet the owners of their respective house projects, even if the meeting was brief. The owners have dealt with so much in the past year. Each has lost at least one loved one, whether the loss came before, during, or after Hurricane Katrina. Each lost almost every possession they had. Life has been and remains hard for everyone here.
But there is joy as well. We saw it today in the faces of Maria and Peggy as they saw the progress of their house. Their smile unveils the joy created as a result of realizing that they'll soon be able to move out of the FEMA trailer parked behind the house. Dignity and pride will be restored. Their smile also unveils their gratitude for the service of strangers that help to restore their dignity and pride.
The team continues to get to know each other better and to share their stories. Good, tough times to ensue.