The second day consisted of a "Brush With Kindness" work. This is a program being implemented in many affiliates across the country including Greater Birmingham. The idea behind BWK is that when we make a home(s) look better, not only will the homeowner take pride in his/her home and street, but hopefully it will also ignite pride throughout the neighborhood.
We were painting Coco's family home. The home has been in her family since her mother was young, and the age and decay was evident. Coco came out and painted with us for the majority of the day, she brought us snacks and took the time to meet each one of us. She was interested in hearing about where we were from, what there was to do in our towns, and where we'd traveled.
We made a lot of progress the first day, all that's left for tomorrow is finishing the overhang, painting the porch and steps, and landscaping; no biggie!
Later on (after showering the paint and smell away) we hit the "town," taking a break to meet some of the locals and learn their life stories. There's one bar in the town that we're staying in, John's Place; they're welcoming to Habitat and bikers. We met a man who's son and daughter-in-law are tornado victims, a woman who had traveled the world, a man who just finalized his divorce, and one more who has been married for 14 years. It reminds us that everyone has a story and we all need to take a little time to learn what they are.
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