Can I tell you a story about one of my friends? I haven’t known her for very long, but she has taught me more about life than many people I’ve known for a long time. My friend is a listener, a hard worker, writer, mother and grandmother, and God’s servant. She is humble, peaceful, family-oriented, thoughtful, and one of the best friends I have. She loves learning about history, and I could sit and listen to her talk for hours without getting distracted or bored. It’s almost as if I want to soak up every word she says and if I don’t concentrate I might miss something really important. I think I could count on her for anything. Her name is Sarah and she lives in Eastern Kentucky.
Sarah lives by herself, but she often takes care of her grandchildren when she’s not working. Sarah was unable to afford needed repairs on her home, so she applied to receive assistance through CAP’s Home Repair program. The first time I talked to Sarah was over the phone. I asked if she had a few minutes to come to the CAP office to tell me a little bit about her life.
Sarah came by the office on a Friday morning. I had some questions prepared, but the moment she walked in the door I knew I wouldn’t need to use them. She was a very warm person who was extremely easy to talk to. After some small talk, I explained that I hoped to write a brief story about her for WorkFest, our spring break home repair program. I first asked how long she had lived in the county and, from there, I didn’t need to ask any more questions. It was so easy to talk to Sarah and she so readily shared her life with me that I couldn’t stop listening to what she had to say.
During that conversation, Sarah told me that in high school she wrote for the paper. She enjoyed writing about her observations and interactions with other people so much that she had planned on making a career out of it. Hesitating for a moment, Sarah explained that she was never able to pursue that dream. After having children, she had to choose between her writing career and taking care of her family. Sarah chose her family and, to this day, she still spends a good portion of her time taking care of her grandchildren – a testament to her devotion to family.
Because Sarah was not able to pursue her dream of writing as a career, she shared with me her feelings that her life was inadequate and not useful or important to others. I looked straight into Sarah’s eyes and told her that it is not the big things that we do, but the small things that we do every day, out of love, that truly make the difference in one another’s lives. I don’t think Sarah realized the difference she makes every day in the lives of the people she meets, or even the impact she made on me in the ten short minutes that we talked.
During WorkFest, Sarah, along with other participants, CAP staff, and college students attended a family appreciation dinner. Sarah addressed the group and expressed her gratitude for all the work they were completing on her home. She said that CAP had given her not only a safe and warm home, but also peace and hope for a better future. She even went as far as to say that home repairs and the love she was shown through CAP had given her a new beginning to life. She told the volunteers that she loved us and would be praying for us always.
I hope Sarah knows what a blessing she has been to the CAP employees and volunteers whom she has encountered. In the short time that I have spent with Sarah, she has given me so much joy, love, and a new perspective on life. I hope she know that she changes the people she meets every day. Sarah’s life is not insignificant. She has changed my life for the better, and that is more than enough.
Simone is currently serving as a Family Advocacy/Housing Caseworker and lives in the McCreary County volunteer community. She is a 2015 graduate of University North Carolina - Chapel Hill and has previously served with CAP at WorkFest and as a camp counselor at Camp Andrew Jackson. Opinions expressed in volunteer blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CAP or the Volunteer Program.
