Nearly six months ago, I received a phone call regarding
our hometown wanting to give us a house. It seemed too good to be true, and the
pessimistic side of me kept waiting for things to fall through. I didn’t want
to let myself get too excited, but it was difficult not to. Due to being in
Maryland, we had to do many things long distance including picking out the
house. My dad went with Bob from the city of Palm Bay and checked out the
houses and helped us decide which one would best suit our needs. Let me tell
you, the house we picked is not the house we received. Yes, it’s at the same
physical location and has the same basic structure, but the community came
together and repainted, remodeled to make it wheelchair accessible and made it
look totally different both inside and outside. When we were on convalescent
leave in April, we were able to visit the house to see the “before”. Bob told
us not to look at it for how it was at that time, but to look at it and see the
potential. Over the course of the next four months, I watched the transformation
through pictures other people posted online or sent to me. The most amazing
part about it was that the majority of the work was done by volunteers and by
businesses that volunteered their time, resources, and labor. It’s humbling to
think about how many hours were put in by mostly strangers who heard about
Justin and his injuries and wanted to help us.
the "before"
the "after"
On Wednesday (two days ago), we unpacked the Penske truck
and the POD unit with the help of about a dozen volunteers. I thought that the
platoon from Ft. Stewart made good time packing the POD in a couple hours, but
the unpacking went even faster – about 35 minutes from unlocking the POD to it
being empty. My parents and I spent most of Wednesday and Thursday at the house
unpacking boxes, organizing, and making the house look and feel like a home. My
dad and I didn’t leave the house until 11 last night finishing up the last
little things to prepare for the ribbon cutting/open house that happened today.
Today was the big day. We started our morning with a limo
in the driveway to take us to the title place where we signed for the house.
When we arrived at the title place, they literally rolled out a red carpet for
us. While we were there, we did an on camera interview for the city of Palm
Bay.
When it was time to leave, the police blocked off the streets between the
title agency and our house (about 7 miles). We were escorted by police, a large
group of motorcycles (my mom estimated around 100 and many of the riders were
veterans), and quite a few people in cars. People along the route were holding
signs and waving to us. When we arrived on our street, there were cars, people,
and news crews lining both sides of the street and a fire truck with a flag
waving from the ladder. It was awesome to see our hometown come together in
support for us. There were between 200-300 people at our house this morning. I’ve
always loved my hometown, but this was above and beyond anything I ever
imagined.
They started off the ribbon cutting ceremony in prayer
asking God to bless our house and our family. I really appreciated that since
our faith in God has been so important to us especially over the past year.
Then they thanked the various elected officials and volunteers. A few people
gave speeches. The brought the flag down from the fire truck and posted it in
the flag holder at the front of the house. Justin’s not big on speaking, so he
handed the microphone off to me to thank everyone. I’m better at putting my
words into writing than public speaking, and it was hard to put into words how
much we appreciate the gift of support that we received from so many. Then it
was time to cut the ribbon. Dave Isnardi pulled out the biggest pair of
scissors that I had ever seen and Corey and the Palm Bay mayor, William Capote,
cut the ribbon and Dave handed us the key. Then it was a bit of a meet and
greet/open house/BBQ lunch. The news crews from the 4 major networks, local
cable news station, and local newspaper interviewed Justin and me. It was quite
a unique experience to be in front of so many cameras and microphones at once.
I think I prefer the computer screen. lol We got to chat with family and
friends who came and met more people than I’ll ever remember names for…though I
will never forget their kindness. Some of our friends from Sharptown, MD
(Heroes Haven) were able to be there to celebrate with us. It was an amazing
day. We are so blessed – not just by the gift of a house, but by the love shown
to us which is so much more important at the end of the day. I’m so thankful
for the city of Palm Bay doing this not just for us, but for 20-35 families.
The project started with us and keeps growing. It’s amazing!
If you're in the Palm Bay, FL area and would like to get involved with this project for future homes, here are some links:
Here are some links to the local news stations/paper regarding our house:
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/wounded-army-sergeant-receives-mortgage-free-home-/ngsZ5/
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/wounded-vet-given-new-home-in-brevard/27267238
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/wounded-vet-given-new-home-in-brevard/27267238
our new bedroom
master bathroom
Justin's new "man cave"
the wonderful businesses who partnered with the city to make our house a home
Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I have been following this since Justin was injured when my cousin Jim Burkett shared the news for prayers. I am a retired Army NCO and would like to just say that there is nothing more honorable than to see all that you and Justin have endured over the last year and still working to get adjusted to your new life. I thank God for the house that you are now moved into and that it was refurbished to meet the needs of the whole family. You are a true example of an Army wife and know that Justin is very blessed to have you in his life and by his side in everything. God bless you all and thank you again for sharing your journey.
ReplyDelete