Rebuilding a Dream that Burnt Down

My mom Doris raised 3 children as a single parent, V.J., Vincent and well, of course, me Angela. Nestled in the hills of Cross Island Road in Santa Rita, Guam, we lived in a simple 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home. I love that home, overlooking Fena Lake. I am smiling just thinking of home.  Growing up, I remember my mom dreaming up renovations to our childhood home. As a single parent worried about caring for us it was a dream that sat on the backburner. Instead she worked hard to provide good food and roof over our heads. In between jobs she would bake for days to make ends meet. My childhood home carries SO many fond memories of family. Family laughing, family partying, family laughing, family cooking, baking and eating, family fighting, family laughing some more. It carries life and love. It has withstood countless supertyphoons with wind gusting 170 miles per hour and an 8.5 earthquake. It will with your help withstand the most painful disaster thus far, a fire that nearly burned our home and the dream down.    

On August 10, 2017, a day after my mom posted the first pictures of her nearly completed renovated home...it burnt down. Fortunately no one was hurt. What was lost are priceless pictures and everything my brother and sister in law owned. New furniture, many found gently used on craigslist went up in flames, the new tile, paint job smoked. Since then my brothers, mom and family have been working together to recover and build back up what was lost. Our house has many more memories to carry into the future, many more supertyphoons and earthquakes to withstand many more family laughter, living and loving to happen, cradled in the mountains of Cross Island Road. 

We humbly ask you to help us rebuild, to piece my mom's dream back together. Many things were lost but not our hope and strength to move forward. We humbly ask your help to do so.

~Angela, Vincent and V.J.