I’ve decided that today is my running commentary blog day. 
I just have to say out loud that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition always makes me cry. They do good things for people who need it. I’ve had my concerns in the past about the supersizing of small homes–tax burdens on poor families, utility burdens, that kind of thing–but the direction they’ve been taking, making sure to build more “greener” when they can, looking for people who don’t just have small or worn-down houses but who have something very special about them who can’t do for themselves what needs to be done. I’ve seen them help two families whose houses burned down–tonight’s is making me bawl because not only did their house burn down, but then the oldest son died in a car accident not much later–I’ve seen them help families with foster children with special needs (AIDS and such), and so on and on. If you watch the show you know what I’m talking about.
Sigh. So sad and so lovely all at once.
I must say, I still have my reservations because problems aren’t solved by making your material dreams come true, whatever they are (though I’d love them to come in and pay off my student loans, don’t get me wrong!)–but when you’re at a point in your life where you don’t even have a place to live, or that place to live is slowly killing you (in the case of the moldy house with the special needs foster kids), when you can’t make those ends meet, it’s really hard to work out your other problems, and a little joy like this for these people brings hope they might not have otherwise had. So, kudos for them, and kudos for them to spread the trend by encouraging people to get involved in their own communities. As I’ve watched the show, there have been so many times the community has gotten together to pay off a mortgage or set aside a fund for utilities or get the funds together for whatever special need the family has, and that’s really nice.