Yesterday, the exterior of my house was white and I mean all white. It had been this way since the time it was built in 1986. Being that I love color it seems rather surprising to me now that I didn’t change it sooner, but life and death, have a way of postponing seemingly frivolous needs or desires for another time and so, my house remained colorless.
We moved here seven years ago, after Justin died. We were running away from memories, both wonderful and painful. He was only fifteen when he died, and our previous home had been filled with his life. He was always happy. Even when diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five, he was happy – constantly smiling, always looking on the bright side. But the leukemia returned and took his youthful, teenage body, and we had to say goodbye. So we moved to our new white house. White walls made a clean slate… no memories, no past, no pain.
A few years later, I started working for the Michael Hoefflin Foundation as their Family Outreach Coordinator. An RN and having had a child with cancer had prepared me to navigate the world of pediatric oncology, and I enjoyed helping other families deal with the word cancer for the first time. While working for the Foundation, my six-year-old son Jacob was diagnosed with leukemia. Leukemia had devastated our family in 1990, and again in 2000. Now in 2006 I felt completely exhausted.
When I found out we were nominated to receive the 3rd Annual A. Allbright Paint Giveaway, I didn’t realize our house even needed painting. As I took pictures of the house, I realized how bad our home looked. Paint was chipping so badly from patio cover to the warped garage door. Things like house paint go unnoticed as you shuffle from one appointment to the next, wait in lines, and give your child treatments.
When I got the call from the A.Allbright team saying our family had been chosen for the giveaway, I had to sit down. When Josh, Jud and their colorist first came to meet our family, I knew this was going to be special. The colorist tuned in immediately to colors we liked, and we put our trust in her artistic expertise. The process made me feel light-hearted and pampered, like a woman at a spa.
When the team arrived, they went right to work like cosmetic surgeons. The prep left my home covered under layers of plastic sheeting and blue tape. Nearly forty men, women and children surrounded every door, window, and even the roof of my house. Tears came to my eyes as I watched the color burnt crimson cover the toilet paper white. I felt more emotional with each color (six in all). I felt as if the stark nature of the past was being wiped away if only for a moment. Finally, the bandage-like tape was peeled away and the workers retreated. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her – like a well dressed woman with just the right accessories – a true Painted Lady.
Thank you all for this wonderful gift! The DeLong Family (and our neighbors)!