Did you all get a chance to watch Extreme Home Makeover last night?  This woman, Felicia Jackson is not only raising a huge family and smashing obstacles along the way, but she is doing an AMAZING job and setting a pretty high bar for the rest of us!I did not watch any television last year except American Idol.  I haven’t seen Grey’s Anatomy in years and I have no idea what is going on with the Housewives.  I decided to record all the season premieres last night and see if anything interested me.  I still haven’t watched DH or B&S, but I could not take my eyes off Extreme Home Makeover.  And I could  not stop crying, of course.

I don’t know who watched it and who didn’t, but I just have to talk about this woman today.  Felicia Jackson.  Felicia Jackson of Poolesville, Maryland had four kids and a husband.  Felicia’s Sister had nine kids.  When she went into the hospital to have her tenth baby Felicia’s Sister learned she had cancer.  She died ten months later.  Before she died she asked Felicia to care for her ten children.  Felicia promised she would keep them together.

That was four years ago.

Since then Felicia’s husband has left her.  Felicia lost her job because with fourteen kids at home she could not meet the demands of a full time job.  No landlords will rent to her because of the 14 kids.  She applied for aid but there was none available for a family her size.  She moved the kids into a hotel and that’s where they have been living, this family of 15.  The youngest is 4 and the oldest is 16.

The community where they live deeded Felicia a nice piece of property with a condemned house on it.  Ty Pennington and his crew tore that house down and put a big beautiful brick beauty up in it’s place.  The plot of land just happens to be across the street from the cemetery and Felicia’s Sister’s grave can be seen from the house.  Here’s a tissue.

So Extreme Home Makeover always does incredible things for people and we are always touched by the hearts and stories of the families involved.  But as a mother, Felicia has captured my heart and my attention.  Regardless of how bad things have been, she kept going.  She never buckled under any challenge.  She spoke almost with an understanding tone when she explained why her husband left.  She said he loved all the kids but it was just too much for him.  Hmmm.  Yet it wasn’t too much for her.

Here’s the really impressive part.  Felicia is not just getting by with these 14 kids, she is EXCELLING!  The oldest boys are 16 and they said the most important thing they can do to help Felicia is be positive role models for the rest of the kids.   The teenage girls get picked on at school for being “homeless”.  But they walk tall and speak with confidence and charm.  You know, I could not get my two kids to stand next to each other long enough to take pictures of them together at different attractions at Sea World.  Yet these 14 kids were always in order.  They moved around together, they were kind to one another, they  worked together and they were just so well behaved.

I don’t mean to sound like I am comparing her angelic brood to my hellions, really.  My kids are not bad.  My point is what an amazing job Felicia has done with these kids under extraordinary circumstances.  In addition to working and trying to make ends meet, finding a home, and trying to stay a step ahead of protective services, Felicia has found time to nurture every one of these kids so that they are thriving and have all become each other’s best friends.

The whole show was based around this very special “promise” that Felicia made to her Sister.  The most beautiful part was the project Ty did for her based on the “promises” he collected from the 14 kids.  Each kid wrote down promises like, “I promise to be there when you need me”, “I promise to help with the younger kids”, and “I promise to get my grades up”.  The promises were made into a comforter for Felicia’s bed and it was so simple and beautiful.

My hat goes off to Felicia Jackson of Poolesville, Maryland and her family for being an amazing example of what it means to be a family and to be a Mom.