Andrews Family

Tonight we watched an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that really showed what life is all about. I’ve been a fan of the show for a long time, but tonight’s show really struck a chord. The story featured an Austin family (they live about a mile from us) who have been blessed with six children, five of whom are autistic. They lived in an ordinary house that was built for the average American family with 1.8 healthy children. Dad works two jobs and Mom is the primary caregiver for the six children. They were whisked away to Colorado while the Extreme Makeover team built them a beautiful new home with a bedroom for each child to make the children’s world a little less chaotic and and plenty of special features that will make Mom’s job a lot easier. I say that this is what life is all about because this is what we all want life to be like. Two selfless, loving & devoted parents happily raising a houseful of children, regardless of circumstances, who fall on hard times (their house was about to be foreclosed on) and society steps in and sets things right. This family deserved to live better and it was wonderful to see them rewarded for countless struggles and difficulties. To see the children express their excitement knowing they were each thought of in a special way by the designers, to watch the parents soak in the reality of all that they had been given, to see the compassion of the volunteers who made it all possible - that is what life is all about. That is why we are here - to take the life we have been given and live it to the fullest and to seek those in need and lift them up to the dignity they deserve. We didn’t know the filming was taking place here a few months ago, so we missed the opportunity to be involved in this family’s adventure, but the *good* news is there are plenty of other unsung heroes, people who are suffering, and families in need. I don’t have the ability to provide an extreme makeover, but I certainly can do little things with great love.