Home sweet home

For the past couple of weeks, my house has had contractors coming in and out. Frankly, it's driving me crazy. About a month ago, we discovered a water leak in the kitchen sink (we discovered it when we noticed wood in the LIVING ROOM peeling). We had to fix the leak, dry the walls and cabinet and rip up and replace all the flooring downstairs. The result has been two weeks of dust, dirt, bugs, chemical smells, and a constant stream of people coming in and out. Being pregnant doesn't help.
What's worse is my husband hasn't been able to take any time off of work. So he'll send me the occasional text asking if I'm okay, which angers me more than makes me feel better. I'm frustrated because I can't function normally but life has to go on. I still have to help my kids with homework, I still have to feed them. Last week we ate out because our kitchen was under wraps while they were finishing up the flooring. My son finally cried on Friday and asked if I could please just cook dinner one night. We can finally cook in the kitchen, but today we ate in the porch while the painters painted.
As I was showering this evening, fuming about my situation, I was reminded of a story about the Alabama tornado victims I heard on NPR that morning. The story focused on the effort to find housing for the victims. When I heard it that morning, I was rushing to drop my kids off at school. But now, when I had time to reflect on my day, I was reminded of a powerful quote I heard. One lady interviewed mentioned how people had given them so many donations, but how without a home it was meaningless. She had no place to put them.
"We need a place to sleep," she said. "We need a room we can lock a door and be safe...Take a bath, be clean. Be able to sit and be still and be peaceful for a minute."
The inconvenience I face is nothing to the hardship faced by victims of natural disasters. But it did help me empathize. Not having the ability to function normally in my own home has really taken an emotional toll on me, I can imagine how it would feel not to have your own home at all. Being in a shelter might protect you from the elements, but it does not replace a home.