Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

I said in an earlier post that I would tell you more about the Tool Time Girls. While they are not directly pertinent to this blog, they are an example of finding creative ways to deal with life. And Heaven knows, caregivers have got to be creative in order to handle whatever issue that is presenting itself on any particular day. So here's the story.

One day I was contemplating my situation - a single, female homeowner without a whole lot of DIY-type skills despite an ongoing fascination with HGTV and TLC on television. Also without a lot in the way of financial resources. There was a group of couples at my church who had formed the "Honey-do Club" and they would meet at one of their houses once a month to do home improvement projects. I tried weaseling my way into the club but found it was couples only and you really do have to limit membership or your house might never get any attention. So I rounded up five friends from church, all female homeowners, mostly all with shoestring budgets and proposed that we start our own group and so the Tool Time Girls came to be. And we have done some projects that are hard to believe; we've hung dry-wall on a ceiling, laid flooring, ripped out carpeting, laid new flooring and a sidewalk, installed ceiling fans and plumbing fixtures and painted, painted, painted. In our second year, it became apparent that it wasn't just all about the projects but the fellowship was just as valuable to us. So we decided to take a weekend every August and get away for a retreat and to have some fun. We've been very fortunate to have beach-front condos donated so we just all pitch in with groceries and cooking and go out a time or two if we can afford it. Bringing this group together started with a need I didn't think I could meet but with a little creativity we have found a way to not only accomplish tasks to difficult to do alone but we have also made a unified connection of true friends who work and worship, pray and play together and that, my friends, is priceless. And it came to be because instead of fretting over the obstacles, we were open to a little creative thinking.