Howe It Happens



Dear Laurie,

When I was little, my favorite story was about a girl who collected pictures of houses she dreamed of having as her home. As I moved among foster placements, I started my own book, where I collected dreams of houses and the people who would make them feel like my home. I got adopted when I was 16 and forgot all about my scrapbook as I discovered what it was like to have everything in it for real.

All these years later, house-hunting frequently felt like those days of dreams built on pictures of houses, while reality consistently kept any of them from becoming my home… but you’ve been an excellent adversary for reality.

You’ve often told me that you’re just doing your job. Yes, in the end you got paid. But frankly, if I were to add up the number of hours you’ve spent showing me houses, negotiating on my behalf, and instantaneously responding to my moments of freaking out, I think we’d find out that you would have been better off getting a job at Dunkin Donuts (especially when you factor in free coffee). In light of this, I’m extra appreciative of your unshakable integrity, patience and kindness. Those intangibles are too often overlooked by people “just doing their job.”

Thank you so much for doing your job WELL and making my dream a reality.