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As the vibrant beauty of fall captivates us and the anticipation of a festive holiday season grows, we now enter into a natural time to both count our blessings and to seek opportunities to love one another. In such a time of reflection, here is a question—what do we think of when we think of home? Home is meant to be a place of rest. But, that is difficult when a family rents what their income allows them to afford and finds that can result in a variety of housing issues and challenges. Home is meant to be a foundation from which to thrive. However, that is hard to do when a large portion of limited monthly income goes toward housing costs, leaving little for other necessities or savings. Home is meant to be a place of peace. Yet, for current homeowners who need repairs done and cannot afford market rates, peace can be replaced by worry as they face unsafe porches and leaking roofs. Imagining what home means reminds us that home also means neighbors and the opportunity to experience neighbor love. For those who dream of home as a place of rest, a place to thrive, and a place of peace, there is great joy in seeing the power of community come alongside them in helping attain those realities. United, the Habitat for Humanity community celebrated with Rosa and her daughter this past year as they moved into their very own new home. For the five other partner families whose builds are on the near horizon, they know the community is ready to build side by side with them. For the five homeowners who completed repairs on their homes, along with the six others who have scheduled repairs, neighbor love is experienced in the pounding of hammers and cutting of boards. In this season of thankfulness, we give praise to God for providing every resource needed to serve others. We are blessed by every family as we develop relationships with them and are grateful for the opportunity to partner with them in building their own dreams. And with deep gratitude, we are thankful for the blessing of community that helps make this possible — donors, volunteers, and supporters who are united in the shared vision that a place where neighbors love neighbors is a place we are all proud to call home!

Jayne Johnson is Executive Director, Piedmont Habitat for Humanity. She can be reached at jayne@farmvillehabitat.org.