 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Songs and Faith Soothe the Soul |
Listen: Barbara Sings a Hymn  Barbara and Harold have been married since 1995. They live in a trailer in rural eastern Kentucky. Having grown up there, the trailer is the only home Harold has ever known, and was in desperate need of repair. The bathroom floor had collapsed because of a water leak that had not been tended to. Steps leading from a room to the backyard had crumbled away. Windows did not seal, the front entrance steps were unsafe and they were using an old, unreliable kitchen stove for cooking.
They did not have the resources or knowledge to do home repairs such as these. Barbara was having eye problems, and is now nearly blind. “My hands make me able to see things now,” she explained. Harold is no longer able to hear well, so they help each other by doing things the other can’t do. “We cook dinner together – what I can’t see to do, he does on the stove for me. He’s my cooking eyes.” Over a matter of weeks in the fall of 2006, volunteers repaired and replaced what Barbara and Harold could not. Long-time CAP volunteer, Anita, visited Barbara and Harold frequently, updating them on the work that was being done, and bringing basic supplies like paper towels and detergent, as they do not have means of transportation. Most importantly, Anita is their friend. She is a source of support and hope, in addition to the wonderful neighbor that checks in on them frequently. Barbara sings old-time hymns, and her shyness seems to fade away as her deep-rooted faith shines through as she sings them. It’s the strength she and her husband need to keep going. They know that no matter what happens to them in this life, they will be rewarded in next one.
Home | About CAP | Who We Serve | Get Involved | Support CAP | About Appalachia |
