When my husband and I signed on to the HOME program, it was because we wanted to give back for all the good fortune we’ve had in our lives. What we didn’t expect was that the seniors we’ve helped have helped us just as much.  Newly retired, we were unsure of how to fill our days with something both meaningful and rewarding.  Each and every time HOME sends us out to help someone, we’ve been met with a lovely senior who is grateful for the help and generous with their time.

They share stories of their lives and remind us to slow down and enjoy this stage of life.  They are no longer clients to us; they’ve become friends.  One friend sews doll clothes and has a huge collection of wonderful tiny apparel that we got to see on our way to replace batteries in a smoke alarm.  Another friend is an artist, we learned that she is inspired by various found objects as my husband repaired her sink.  One friend creates beautiful floral arrangements and has a roomful of silk flowers which delighted us as we fixed her dryer.  As my husband repaired a door broken down by police to help a friend who had fallen, she told us about her neighbor who helps her with her checkbook.  

We learned about how it felt to live in the neighborhood close to Cup Foods the night of protests as we repaired the roof of a friend’s porch.  A retired art teacher is generous with her praise of all we do – how artistic her garage door now looks with its newly repaired trim.  One of our friends visits Guatemala with boxes and boxes of clothes and toys – which we step over on the way to installing grab bars and fixing her toilet.  We enjoy our times talking about current events with a Richfield friend as we get her yard in tip top shape.  

There are many other friends we’ve had the good fortune of meeting – and each one has enriched our lives.  We are grateful to the a HOME program for giving us new friends and more meaningful and rewarding lives.