This month, Father Jim has given me a slightly different Spotlight assignment:

Spotlight
On
Home for the Holidays

      With pretty red hair brightening a dull day, & a smattering of construction dust smudging a freckle or two, Wanda Taylor is busy working on the new family home. Shyly, but graciously, she 'downs tools' and takes some time to talk to me. Wanda's mum and sister are at a business meeting, so Wanda will do the interview for me. A convenient stack of, what looks like, crown molding provides a good solid surface to rest my notebook, and the interview begins.

      The new house is being built on land originally owned by Wanda's grandmother, Beatrice, and replaces the old family home place. When Ms. Beatrice died, Wanda's mother Elizabeth inherited - and still owns - the property. Sadly, no building lasts forever and the old home had to be taken down. Ms. Elizabeth retained the land, dreaming of the day when she would be able to rebuild.

      Although life has a way of dealing harsh blows, Ms. Elizabeth never lost hope that one day she would be able to build a home on her land. Her hopes and dreams seemed closer when the 'Habitat for Humanity' organization offered an opportunity. After paperwork was filed, criteria met, and interviews had taken place, Ms. Elizabeth was thrilled to hear that she would have her home.

      Of course, nothing is free, so part of the deal with Habititat (along with a non-profit, loan) is that the homeowners will have to invest several hundred hours of 'sweat equity'…. In other words, the home owners roll up their sleeves and help build, both their own home, and homes of others. Ms. Elizabeth is an older lady, hardly spry enough to nip up and down ladders, or heave building supplies around, so Wanda (who lives with her) has done a great deal of the required labour. In fact, while I am talking to her, Wanda shares the great news that she has fulfilled her required 500 hours….not that it will stop her working, she is dedicated to the task. Other family members have rolled up their sleeves and helped, it's a shared effort. Even Ms. Elizabeth's grand-daughter, Debra, and her family have helped with the sweat equity ….in Louisiana. Habitat very kindly allowed them to put in hours, there, that will count towards her grandmother's quota.

      As you will have seen from Debra's letter in last month's Builder, she and her family have watched the progress of her grandmother's home by way of the St. Thomas web-site pictures, and are able to feel part of the whole effort to realize the dream.

      Wanda (who, by the way, is a ninth-generation Charlestonian) has two teenage children, a son, Philip - at school here, and a daughter, Anna - who lives with her dad during school time. She talks about how happy she is that the family will soon be living in the new home. Her current home is in a more dangerous neighbourhood where there is a high incidence of drugs and prostitution, and she looks forward to moving away from it & back home to where she was born and raised.

      Wanda talks about how kind people have been to donate so much of their time and hard work in order to help build the new house. She shows me the new landscaped garden, with its' crazy paving path to the front door…she is touched by the kindness of the people who donated all the materials to achieve the very attractive results.

      She goes on to say that people have worked so hard that the house will be finished much earlier than the February date originally given.

      As we talk, I ask Wanda if she has any hobbies. She replies that she has been so busy with the sweat equity work that she has had little time for anything other than watching some television. She particularly likes 'That 70's Show'…feeling that she can relate to that time.

      It is obvious that she is eager to get back to work, so I ask if there is anything she would like to tell me in conclusion…she doesn't hesitate, but simply says "Please thank everyone. Personal notes will go to everyone, but, in the meantime, I want them to know how grateful we are for all their help."

      Since that interview, the house has been dedicated & the family will have moved in by the time this is published. What a splendid Thanksgiving! There's something rather fine in knowing that the family who has lived here for so many generations, will be back on their own land in a home which will endure for many more generations.

**Kudos to all our parish family who helped, in any way, with the Habitat tasks.
**Kudos to Jim Wooldridge for the great work with the web site: http://www.stthomasofsc.com