Space

In 2004 I was the lucky "lottery" winner in my town's affordable 40B housing program. For those unfamiliar with 40B homeownership, it is a program in my state designed to enable lower/moderate income families to purchase homes in more affluent communities where homeownership would otherwise be impossible. My dear friend who works for my town explained the process and encouraged me to apply. At that time, I was a single parent to one daughter, and condos were being built in the town I grew up in. We would qualify for a 2 bedroom condo. It was a fantastic opportunity to buy a condo in a town with a great school system and with more racial diversity than where we were living. I, along with five other families, were the recipients of the opportunity to buy one of these condos at half price, alongside fifteen others who would purchase a unit at full price. It was certainly an answer to a prayer, and has been a tremendous blessing for which I am incredibly grateful.

Over the years, as my family grew, we have adjusted our living space to make things work. When I said yes to bringing Hannah Joy home, I knew that my dream of owning a three bedroom condo or small home where the kids could play outside would need to be put aside. If I wanted to move to a southern state I could likely live this dream. But, given that I now have a child in middle school, whose emotional security centers around consistency, it would be unfair. Besides, I have two children who need to be at our current medical facility for their thalassemia treatment. And I need my amazing support network, so that parenting my girls is possible. So, we have brainstormed and adapted our 2 bedroom condo to fit our family needs. We did not need a dining room given the size of our kitchen, and made that into a third bedroom space. My eldest would occupy this space given her needs of needing to stay up later than her sisters to complete homework. It worked well for a while until, as she tried to complete homework, she was constantly disrupted by her younger sisters as there was no door to close out the sound. We made it through the academic year, and last nite, thanks to some great guys, we "switched" rooms. My eldest now has the second bedroom with a door, my two middles have their bunks in our makeshift third bedroom, and the baby, well, she still sleeps with me.

Last nite, the excitement was palpable. The girls were so excited with their new spaces. The guys even installed a ceiling fan since there is no window in the dining room/third bedroom. The girls LOVED this, especially as Nate put his hand into the running fan to show the girls they would not be hurt if a hand (or head) hit the fan while running. This was added security for Lianna, who occupies that top bunk.

Our mercies continue to abound. There is no way we could have possibly moved all that furniture by ourselves. My friends graciously agreed to come do all the work, after working long days themselves. They never complained once about the collections of things the girls have. They helped move, install, and even vacuum while four little girls all looked on. We are so grateful for their care. And last nite, my sweet girls all slept happily in their new spaces.