Blitz Build Spotlight: Jim’s New Independence, Thanks to Berkeley Homes

FREEDOM

When we as Americans see this word, our minds move quickly to the political nuances of the idea. We celebrate our constitutional freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and a host of other things. We are so steeped in appreciation of these precious political freedoms that sometimes we forget about the myriads of freedoms we experience in other ways in our lives.

For school-age youth, summer brings a celebration of freedom from the perceived grind of school. At 16 years old, I distinctly remember the freedom I felt holding my driver’s license in one hand and keys to a car in the other. That feeling grew when my father sent me to the local grocery store to get things for dinner, and I chose a different route to the business than he would have taken. Young adults living on their own for the first time experience the freedom of deciding when to go to bed or clean their space and what to eat for dinner. As a parent, I still smile thinking about the freedom that came with the end of diapers and car seats over twenty-five years ago.

At some point in our lives we encounter freedom stealers, things that rob us of spontaneity and impact us physically.

For me, my MS diagnosis in 2009 initiated a progression of freedom stealers. It started slowly. I did not have the freedom to run up and down the basketball court as I had. The heat of summer days began to drain my energy. Eventually holding my wife’s hand on walks, was stolen because my gate was too unsteady, and I was forced to navigate my foot drop. In the last 18 months, walking downstairs without a railing has not been possible. For my mother-in-law who lives with us, walking with a walker and sometimes needing a wheelchair has been her freedom stealer.

Losing those subtle freedoms means adjusting my perspectives and finding ways to be resilient. It Is why I write this column; it is why I started Voices We Miss which captures the stories of our elders. As my physical freedom has declined, I have dedicated more of my time to demonstrating the expanse of freedom that we give ourselves by being resilient.

While I work diligently to remain resilient, the fact is that freedom stealers are exhausting. For example, at our home, I had been reduced to one way in and one way out. Our rail-less front and back doorsteps made it impossible for me to use those doors. Going to the front yard or our beautiful backyard meant going through the garage, the only way I could safely navigate in and out. These cumbersome actions were frustrating, and the height of the garage steps made the journey somewhat precarious. For my mother-in-law, navigating the single step to the front porch before being wheeled down a steeply inclined temporary ramp required heroic courage.

Holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day remind us of the service work so many did to secure our political freedoms. Last Thursday, the Home Builders Foundation and a volunteer team from Berkeley Homes gifted us with freedoms of a much different kind. In six hours, this team selflessly, joyously, built a ramp that allows us to open our front door and walk into our front yard. They added a railing to the steps to the back yard to make it more accessible and redid the steps into the garage to facilitate safer access. These changes are transformational.

To those who have the freedom of moving up and downstairs without issue, this will seem minor, as it always did to me before. Now it feels like they have opened up the world. They have given us the freedom to walk out our front door. They have given me the opportunity to age in this house in a way that would have been impossible without their support. They have restored an element of freedom to our lives.

I don’t have the words to describe how incredibly thankful I am to those who have given of their time to expand our freedom. Those special people include:

• Luis the By the Brush contractor, who, when he saw how I struggled to enter the house, suggested that I reach out to someone he knew could help.
• Michael, a disabled American veteran, the person Luis knew who provided me a temporary ramp for entering the house and put me in contact with the service organization Home Builders Foundation (HBF)
• HBF the service organization who has helped so many by providing experts, supplies, and volunteers to create home modifications for people with disabilities.
• Berkeley Homes and their incredible team who volunteered their time and expertise to transform our home.

I am overflowing in appreciation for what they have given us.

Beyond the freedom we gained, there was for me a lesson about my perspectives of service. I have dedicated my life to serving others. I spent 34 years in public school education, a job steeped in service to others. I cherish my years of service and the joy I was able to bring to those around me. But there was an arrogance in my attitude about service that spoke to the idea that I serve, I do not receive the gift of service. I only saw service as what I did for others thinking I did not need help from anyone. Today I wake up and see receiving service in brand new ways. I understand now that to accept the service of others requires being vulnerable, open to sharing the way your freedoms have been stolen, and having a willingness to accept gifts.

I have seen the impacts of service from both sides now. What I learned was thar one does not exist without the other. I also learned that both take courage, both take openness, and both are beautiful.

THANK YOU.