Melinda Slade

Well I just found out that the father of the family we remodeled the house for will be home this weekend.  I’m as excited about it as the parents and children are I think.  I absolutely can’t wait to see his face.  The papers are all signed and it’s their house.  I’ll meet them at the house at a specified time.  There will be a huge bow across the door and when they pull up and walk up on the porch, I’m supposed to open the door and say welcome home.

That’s when I step off to the side and show him his new home.  I can’t wait to see his expression.  Now if he can just keep it all quiet until his wife comes home so she can get the surprise too, that would be wonderful.  I’m not sure if he will be able to do that or not.

I decided to do something special for them and purchased a dishwasher for them.  I was looking around the kitchen and kept thinking something was missing.  NO DISHWASHER!!!  Well we can’t have that so I went to Sears and got a great deal on a dishwasher, called my fix-it guy and he put it right in.  Now the house is complete.  All it needs is it’s family and that will happen this weekend.  I can’t wait!!!

Well this New Year feels like just that, a new year.  Usually it’s just another day.  But what makes this one so special is that in just three more days, Tom, the guy that will be living in the house we just finished, will be home.  What a wonderful way to start the new year off.  I don’t know if Tom will be able to keep the surprise until his wife comes home in about 5 more weeks or not but I hope so.

Tom’s parents said that he probably won’t want to stay in the house until his wife and whole family can stay there all together.  This is a very special family all around.  The kids are great and have done without their parents far more than any child should have.  They haven’t complained one bit their grandparents said because their parents have told them that they are doing what they have to do to keep their family safe here. Isn’t that a wonderful thing to tell your child.

I have already been looking around for another house and will surely keep you posted on that.  At any rate, here’s hoping you have a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR FILLED WITH LOVE, PEACE, AND JOY.

Since I have been alone for so many years, Christmas has lost it’s magic.  Well this is a Christmas Eve like no other ever in my life.  When the parents of these two special people saw the home we all worked so hard to make for their children and grandchildren, there were tears in every one’s eyes, including mine.  They loved it and said their children and grandchildren would too.

They scurried about putting their families belongings here, there and everywhere and suddenly, the house became a HOME.  I watched it transform before my very eyes and it absolutely amazed me that this was the same house.  It wasn’t the same house after all, it was someone’s HOME now.  The family that will be living here still does not know about it so it will be a total surprise to them.  The family wants me to be here to open the door and welcome the father and children for the first time they see it.  I can’t wait to see their faces.

My lawyer has drawn up all the paperwork on the house and now all it needs are the signatures.  Both sets of parents of this couple have asked to have the loan on the house put in their names.  Of course the house will belong to the people that will be back from Iraq, but the parents are cosigning so that if the family gets a little behind, they will be there to help them.

After the purchase of the house, the repairs that were done and everything else involved, I have a grand total of $47,000 in this ‘home’.  The interest rate I am charging is a full percentage under the prime rate right now which is the lowest it’s been in years.  I’m asking nothing down and they payments will be well within the range that this family should be able to make.

On Christmas Eve, both sets of parents will come see the house for the first time.  The children will not come.  They want the kids to see if for the first time with their parents.  It’s only a couple of weeks now before their father will be home.  Just a few weeks after that and their mother will be home too.  Their parents are going to put in what little they had left of their personal items when they come on Christmas Eve.

My heart is so full right now that it feels like it will bust.  The last family I helped is doing great in their new home and I couldn’t be happier right now.  Between the families, my friends, and everyone that has helped make my dream a reality for two families, I am a very lucky woman.  There is a Santa Clause after all.

Well the house looks absolutely beautiful and now all it needs is a family.  There’s a Christmas Tree up in the living room all decorated with presents for everyone under it all donated by the churches.  The kitchen is fully stocked, the house is furnished and the beds are made just waiting for their new occupants.  All of this was also donated by the churches. Every bit of the home improvements came from people in the church working hard from the new flooring, to the furniture, to the new appliances.  It’s a wonderful feeling standing here looking at what we all have accomplished together.

I feel so much love in that house because of all the hard work all of these people put into it.  I can’t wait until the family gets home so they can come ‘HOME’ here.  They still know nothing about it and it will be wonderful to see their faces when they find out that so many people cared enough about what they have given to serve our country.  Again, I am going to finance the home myself so that I can be sure they can not only afford the house but are able to keep this house.

With the interest rates dropping, I’m still financing it below what the national rates are.  I guess I’m getting soft in my years (and no I’m not going to say older years because I’m not that old yet) but I have found something that not only makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile but I’m also helping those in need.  I have a good life and want to give back.  That’s what this season is all about but I hope to carry it on through out the year and not just during Christmas.