Today is a day of rest for Kathy, Alice and the guys. We’ve had a lot of questions about this project and I wanted to post an answer to some of them today, instead of the usual progress report.

A few weeks ago Kathy  received a call from an elderly woman in response to a newspaper ad we are running. She went by for a visit and was overwhelmed by the situation. Kathy was leaving for a trip to a friend’s wedding, but I heard from her several times that weekend about how much she wanted to help this woman.

My husband and I work with Kathy on her advertising and marketing for her two businesses, Clutter Free Yourself and Kaffirmations. (Visit www.kaffirmations.com). Kathy frequently asks our advice on business matters. I have to be honest, I advised her to walk away from this one. Miss Alice did not have the money to pay for the clean-up. There are family problems. The “Hoarders” show had walked away from it and there was time pressure from state and county officials.

But, Kathy could not get Miss Alice off of her mind. She was so moved by the enormity of the problem and the dangerous condition of the house and yard, not only to Alice, but to the entire neighborhood as well. Kathy asked me to go meet with Alice and talk with her. Maybe I could figure out a way for Kathy to take the project. I knew Kathy was not going to give up on this, so I agreed to go.

I was expecting to meet with Alice and then convince Kathy that it was in everyone’s best interest to let the state seize the property and place Alice in a home. After I met Alice and saw how hard she was working to change her situation, I was also moved to help.

Alice is very active at the age of 83, but like many women of her generation, her husband took care of the financial details. After he died suddenly, Alice was shattered. They were very close. To comfort herself, she continued living as she always had — buying little gifts and books for him to support the hobbies they shared.

As much as I wanted to judge Alice for her hoarding, I found that I could not. Looking at the mountain of grief in Alice’s home, I thought about how I would react if my husband, business partner and best friend suddenly died. I think something in me might break, too. What would I do to relieve my sorrow?

It is estimated by some experts that 3-5% of the homes in America are like Alice’s, with extreme hoarding. Some sources say 25% of all homes need a professional clutter intervention because the two-income family is too busy to keep up with the house and the other demands of life. What really convinced me to become a volunteer is that almost none of those extreme hoarders take the aggressive action Alice did to clean up the place — even when they are confronted by the authorities. Alice was trying to change even before the police became involved.

Alice has limited her compulsive spending to thrift stores and she hasn’t been in one in over 4 months now. Most of what she bought she considered gifts, but they were swallowed by her house once she brought them home. All week long, the things she has kept have been long-lost gift items that will finally go to their intended recipient.

Kathy decided to discount her hourly fee 30%, which basically meant she is going to do all of that work for no pay. We have several other promotions running right now and a project this size sucks up hours. I was concerned about this, and insisted we have that house cleared in two weeks. Taking this on was a big risk and an incredibly generous thing to do. If you know Kathy, you know that her heart is much, much bigger than any mountain of clutter.

We set a budget and hoped it would cover expenses, but you never know with something like this. We planned a massive yard sale to help cover the costs. Then we discovered the plumbing leak, and realized how much of the stuff in the basement was ruined as a result. The yard sale will not make much money at all.

Alice is selling her kilns and pottery molds and will make payments, but there are many repairs to the home that will be required. I was concerned about how she is going to do that and take care of those very real problems in the house.

Enter another hero, Paul Harwood, our Ace Hardware man. He promised Kathy a substantial materials budget and then quickly increased that. He has been out fixing the plumbing problems and consulting on others as we have discovered them. More angels are Alice’s neighbors who put aside their anger to do something practical to help. They are taking up a collection to pay for another dumpster to clean up the yard. Alice’s church brought the youth group to help on Saturday, and they cleared more than a third of the upstairs. Alice’s friends are trying to raise a little money, too.

One neighbor asked how they could be assured that Alice would not do this again. Alice agreed to an accountability program as part of the conditions for the work. This program is a self-monitoring system that will be checked periodically by Kathy.

Alice created this problem for herself and for the people in her neighborhood. So what is it about this situation that is making people put that aside and want to contribute? I’ve given this a lot of thought this week.

I have never met someone like Kathy who believes in working to “be your better, higher self” and puts some action behind her beliefs. The day Alice agreed to her proposal Kathy danced in the driveway, joyous that God was going to work miracles through her.  Kathy is a dancer-type person with a lot of enthusiasm for life.  I am more of a cynic and believe that people generally are interested in themselves and no one else.

Someone like Kathy is a catalyst. She inspires to be better than we thought we could be. In my case, it has caused me to be less judgmental and more open to understanding of the short comings of others. I am grateful for the opportunity to see real generosity in action, and to witness the opportunity to grow and change even at the advanced age of 83. Just as Kathy predicted, I have seen God work miracles this week and I am a better person for it.

— Reported by Jackie Wells Smith

No photos today. View report and photos for Day 8.