You never know who you’ll meet here at our hospitality house.  As guests come and go, attending appointments, tasting homemade baked goodies from Donna each Tuesday, waiting for the hospital shuttle to arrive, stopping by the front desk to speak with a volunteer or house manager, we find that no two days are ever the same here.  But, what remains a constant here is the flow of guests – guests who demonstrate regular gratitude for having a beautiful place to stay and a warm, homecooked meal or two after spending a long day at the hospital.

We recently had the opportunity to get to know guest Patricia Williams.  A retired critical care nurse from Lillington, North Carolina, she had worked for the Army Nurse Corp for several years before settling down in Harnett County.  Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1991, she spent years finding the right treatment to lessen the chronic pain. Earlier this year she had a heart attack and then was diagnosed with breast cancer.

When we met Patricia, she had been staying at Family House for about a week to receive four weeks of radiation treatments for breast cancer after undergoing a lumpectomy this past February.  What initially struck us about Patricia was her positive attitude and ever-present fortitude. No small feat given the chronic pain she was enduring.

Patricia shared, “I love this place.  This is a magical place. I’m not a social being.  I’m basically shy and I don’t seek people out, but you can’t help but do that here. Everyone is struggling and helping each other here. Everyone is so kind here.  This place feels like home.”

As we celebrate the holidays with family and friends, it’s guests like Patricia who remind us of one of life’s greatest lessons: Life should be viewed through the lens of gratitude.  We are grateful for having met our new friend, Patricia, and we  wish her a long and happy life.