My 14-year-old daughter, Camille, and I stood in the middle of the living area of our new 28-foot trailer and looked around. New to us, I should say. The used Salem RV was mostly functional, but it was showing its age. Dated brown cabinetry and shelving. Beige everywhere else—wallpaper, ceiling, upholstery. And the stench of cigarette smoke permeated everything.
We’d parked the trailer in a small beach town two hours from our house in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’d propped open the door so we could catch the breeze. Although not officially summer yet, it was already 80 degrees. Maybe the fresh air would help with the smell too.
The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown had just been lifted, but Camille and I were still sticking to our pod of two. We were about to embark on the ultimate mother-daughter bonding experience and remodel the trailer ourselves. Visions of Fixer Upper and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ran through my head. Never mind that neither of us had any renovation experience, though Camille had taken a set-building class at school.
With the school year over and me able to do my marketing job remotely, we’d decided to live at the trailer over the summer to tackle some projects. Our first: overhauling the kitchen. “Where do you want to start?” I asked.
“We need to do something about those,” Camille said, pointing to the cabinets and making a face.
I got out our new tool kit and grabbed a pry bar. I wedged it behind a cabinet and used it as a lever. Even though I put all my weight into it, the cabinet didn’t budge. With a utility knife, I widened the crevice between the cabinet and the wall. Then I tried the pry bar again.
“Mom, don’t damage the wall!”
This story is from the June/July 2023 edition of Guideposts.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June/July 2023 edition of Guideposts.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EVERYDAY GREATNESS: Jessica Manfre
Uniting military and civilian communities through acts of kindness
The Cake Mixer Mishap
I should’ve listened to Mom
Star Turn
I worried about my introverted daughter. Then Olivia flipped the script
Unearthed
I pulled the overgrown remnants of my herb garden, putting it to bed for the season, and went over a mental list of all the things to do before winter began—change out the screens for storm windows, finish the yard work, bring down the draft blockers from the attic.
Confidence Builder
My five boys didn't need me to homeschool them anymore. Now I wanted to be good at something else. But could I?
Ordinary People
The story behind Norman Rockwell's celebrated painting
A Woman of Courage
After I was widowed, fear took over my life. How could I trust anyone if I couldn't trust God?
Keep on Truckin'
How to bring a couple back together: share a long-haul drive in an 18-wheeler
My Answer to Pain
Inflammation was wreaking havoc with my health. Was God trying to show me a better way to live?
Letters From Phil
My older brother and I went our separate ways: he to the Air Force, me to a marriage that didn't last. He lived a rough-and-tumble life, but that's not what really worried me