It was a bright perfect sunny day when I was on the swing, pumping my legs to go higher and higher. All of a sudden, I hear someone hollering like a little monkey, “We got it! We got the house!” My mom is running towards me with the phone in her hand and a big smile on her face. My mom explained to me that Habitat for Humanity was giving us an opportunity to build our own house. I was extremely excited. My Habitat home means SO much to me. The fact that everyone with a kind heart helped in makes it even better. My home is special to me because my family and I put all our efforts into it and in result, we got the most wonderful home that we have always wanted. Before Habitat for Humanity was in our lives, my family of five lived in a two-bedroom and one-bathroom house. We lived in dreadful conditions. We had numerous visitors such as rats, cockroaches, and spiders. The rats were not mice but great big rats. Some were almost the size of a cat! My sisters and I couldn't fall asleep at night knowing that cockroaches and spiders could be crawling up our beds. My two sisters and I shared a room that included bunk beds. My older and younger sister both slept in the bottom bunk while I slept on the top. Our room ceiling was somewhat horrendous. The farther you walked into the room, the lower the ceiling got. Our lives were devastating before Habitat for Humanity. To know that we could have a better home, it illuminated my heart and spirit. And, now we have a beautiful Habitat home. My home means so much to me because it made my life better and my family's life better. My dad put so much love and effort into this home and it makes it special. My dad didn't want a plain and boring home. He placed beautiful tile work on the kitchen counter and the bathroom floor. My dad also made a wonderful cement trail leading to the backyard from tile scraps! The most beautiful thing in our home is the "sea wall" in our bathroom. My dad put seashells, starfish, and rocks on our bathroom wall. It is tremendously beautiful. My Habitat home means so much to me that I cannot express it into words. I am extremely grateful that Habitat for Humanity gave us this opportunity because it was what my family needed. My new and amazing home is 100 times better than my other home. My home is very special to me because we put everything we had to create a wonderful piece of art. I am thankful for this and I believe that God gave us this awesome opportunity to take advantage of. I appreciate all the help from the volunteer and especially Susie, our family partner.
To read other winning essays, visit the main 2008 Homeowner Youth Essay Contest page.
