One Stranger Helping Another

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -Melody Beattie 

My Bike and Build trip is quickly approaching, and I am getting SUPER excited! Training has gotten real, fundraising is going great, and I'm learning a lot about the affordable housing cause. ONLY 22 MORE DAYS until I start orientation and 20 days until I leave Camden. This will definitely be a bittersweet goodbye, but more on that later. Monday I did my first ride over 65 miles! That ride definitely had it's challenges, but I'm glad I did it and I'm feeling more prepared for what's ahead. I am really thankful for my friend, Summer, who rode with me. Here are a couple snap shots of our 67 mile adventure: 

                             

     

"Just seize every opportunity you have, embrace every experience. Make a mark, for all the right reasons." -Chrissie Wellington 

Today I had an interview with James and Pam Holiday, who are about to move into their new home, provided by Habitat for Humanity. I met James last time I was on the Habitat for Humanity build site here in Kershaw County. James has put in many hours not just on his house, but on other habitat houses on Gordon Street. When I saw him, I could immediately tell he was a hard worker and genuine person. That big smile never left his face. James has been out at that house come rain or shine, and his hard work has paid off because their house is finished! They will be moving in between May 14th-21st after all the paperwork has gone through. Their fourteen year old son, Jaylen, will also be moving in with them. This was actually their first time applying for a habitat house and it was kinda on a whim! Pam and James have been living in their same apartment for fifteen years and they wanted something that was THEIR OWN. So, they applied to habitat and they were chosen based on their need and several other factors. Pam told me that they were extremely blessed to have this house because you can pay rent all you want, but it will never truly be yours. This is something that they can be proud of. This is not just a house to the Holidays, it is a home. 

I asked Pam what she was most excited about when she moves in and she told me that she couldn't wait to sit on her front porch and drink a cup of coffee in the morning. Being a Barista, I really appreciate this about her! I LOOOVEEEEEE coffee! This statement also made me think about the small things in life and how I need to be more appreciative of what I have. When was the last time I sat on MY front porch and drank a cup of coffee? I don't even remember. Pam's face lit up when she talked about her new carpet. She said one of the first things she did was roll around without her shoes on on her new carpet. When she was telling me about this, she had tears in her eyes. She is so truly grateful, even for the small stuff. 

What the Holidays enjoyed most about working on their own home was the spirit of people. They told me that they met so many giving people on this journey. It was "one stranger helping another." What a truly beautiful thing. This experience has given them a new outlook on life. James absolutely loves Habitat and wants to continue helping with other houses. He wants to give back what was given to him. He has learned so much building his house from the ground up. That is one aspect of Habitat that I really love. If something breaks, James will more likely than not, know how to fix it. Habitat for Humanity does an excellent job of getting homeowners involved in their own homes by requiring them to complete 200 or more sweat equity hours. Jaylen also got to help on the house. Pam and James are excited to leave a legacy for their family, to have people over for BBQs, and to just simply have a place of their own. 

I really enjoyed my interview with the Holidays. These people reminded me of WHY I'm doing what I'm doing this summer. I'm riding across the United States because of people like Pam and James. Their positive energy and happiness is contagious and if I meet one family like them out there this summer, I will be truly blessed, as Pam said. I am inspired by the small things in my life on this day...carpet, coffee, and something as simple as a smile. Thank you Pam and James for sharing that with me. I wish you both much happiness and many memories in your new HOME. God bless. 

James & Pam Holiday at their new home! 

Watering the plants 

"From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other-above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received." -Albert Einstein 

Let's Talk Affordable Housing

"Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding out of bed because there's something out there you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at-something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again today." -Whit Hobbs

Before I leave for Nags Head in May, I am required to complete at least ten sweat equity hours with an affordable housing charity of my choice. I chose to do my hours with the local Habitat for Humanity here in Kershaw County. This past weekend I finished up the rest of my hours on Gordon Street, helping with a house Habitat hopes to have finished by June. I was fortunate enough to meet one of the family members, who will be moving in this house upon its completion. One of my jobs for the day was painting the trim and the door of the shed in the back yard. Yes!!! painting...I can definitely handle that. I was really inspired by the atmosphere at the build site Saturday. There were volunteers planting flowers, people putting up doors, and family members putting in their hours toward their house. I even got to see Mr. Richard Hagins at work. Who is Richard, you ask? 

Another part of my affordable housing curriculum is interviewing someone from a local affordable housing charity. To be honest, I didn't have my person picked out last week and I kinda started to freak out. Those who know me well, know I like to be on top of my game, I'm extremely organized (to the point of almost being a perfectionist), and I'm a tad ocd. I can't help it. When I told my boss about my predicament, she gladly helped me reach out to Richard. Richard assists with the Kershaw County Salkehatchie summer camp. What is Salkehatchie? GREAT QUESTION! Salkehatchie was formed in South Carolina in 1987 as a way to renovate homes for people. It is a week long project hosted by the Methodist church, where teenagers volunteer to help renovate a house for one week of their glorious summers. South Carolina has fifty camps and each one as a director, who is in charge of all the administration and logistics. The Kershaw County camp started in 1991, and Richard was in deed a part of this. This year the camp will have 65 volunteers working on five houses. Something the Salkehatchie leaders do (that I thought was pretty neat) is they let the volunteers choose which house that they want to work on. Richard informed me that most people get their first or second choice. The camps get most of their funding through the $230 application fee people pay to be a part of the camp. This covers food, lodging, etc. This is a great way for teenagers to meet other kids their age around the state and to learn that they can make difference in the world.

Before Salkehatchie begins each summer, Richard and several other people, go around Kershaw County to select houses to work on. Marie Sheheen, who works for United Way, will pass along several different houses for them to look at. Richard told me that they are quite flexible in their selection of families and of houses. Some reasons why a house might not be chosen is because there is not enough work, too much work (RARE), or someone is not actually living in the house. (For example, it is "air property," which means someone owned it, they didn't have a will, they passed away, and now ALL their kids own it together and don't know what to do with it.) Richard also works with an organization called, WARM (Weatherization & Repairs Ministry.) Some houses that Salkehatchie can't take on, get passed down to WARM. What I really liked about Richard was how he talked about not judging people. It's important to be tolerant of others. You never know what someone else is going through. This is a lesson we all could learn.

Richard also told me that it's about MORE than just the house. It's also about the personality of the homeowner. They want someone who is going to engage and encourage the teenagers. The main reason that Richard does Salkehatchie is to teach teens that they CAN make a difference in the world. If he did this all alone, it wouldn't be worthwhile, but he has something he can pass on. If he helps just one person it was all worth it because that person will pas it on and so on and so forth. I think about this and I think about Bike and Build. This experience won't just change the homeowners we help, but maybe it will change us as well. I asked him WHY he thought it was important to engage young people in civic service? He stopped and very seriously he said, "because they are the FUTURE of our world." I can tell Richard is very passionate about what he does with this organization and just by speaking with him, I can tell that yes...he has made a difference. Sometimes I wonder if I am absolutely crazy to believe in the world and to believe that there is so much light out there. When I talk to someone like Richard, I see that I am not crazy. At his age he not only believes in the good out there, but he has seen it and he KNOWS it exists. Talking with Richard gave me a lot of hope, not just for myself, but for the world around me. What we see is what we choose to see and we can make any experience a positive or negative one. My experiences are what I choose to make of them.

Richard's favorite homeowner story is about a run down house in Bethune. One day, they were out in Bethune looking for houses to renovate for the Salkehatchie summer camp. They stopped at a house where the roof was falling in and a sweet older black lady answered the door. Behind her, stood a little girl. When she saw Richard she said, "Granny, that's Jesus." That summer they worked on her house and that family was so incredibly grateful to them.

There is SO much more from my interview that I could say. Thank you Richard for not only providing me with a plethora of information, but for giving me hope. It's not everyday that you get to see people so passionate about what they do. And also thank you to Ray at Habitat for Humanity for not only putting up with me, but for teaching me things that will be useful this summer. You guys do a great job!

                                        It may be such                                           

a fairy-tale secret, 

this much

I know:

The road leads

wherever

you need to go.    

You need to go

wherever

the road leads-

I know

this much. 

A fairy-tale secret?

It may be such. 

-"The Road"

by Marilyn Singer 

Don't forget....Happy Poetry Month!