Posting from Nora

What a day! We began a new house today for a lovely older woman who seemed very glad to see us. As she hadn't really touched her house at all since August, our first job was to sort through all of her personal possessions and throw away what she didn't want to/couldn't keep-- which resulted in a pile of garbage the size of her FEMA trailer. There are really no words (humbling comes close) to describe the feeling of entering someone's destroyed home and carrying their pictures, their clothes, and the antique heirloom their deceased aunt left them to the curb to be discarded. We started dismantling a dresser that had grown moldy, and the first drawer I took out was filled with her "unmentionables." How does one, a complete stranger, carry these personal articles of clothing to someone and ask them which they treasure enough to save? All in all, today felt like our most successful day yet. We completely cleared this house, removed a lot of the sheetrock, and some rooms are ready to be sanitized. I think that after a good night's sleep we will all be ready for what tomorrow brings!