Now, i must admit, when i first heard of the show, i was very sceptical about it. In fact, i vowed never to watch it, because it falls under the "reality show" umbrella, and i feel i have enough "reality" in my life, so why should i turn to the TV for more. But one Sunday night last year, i was surfing the channels, and landed on this show. As i watched it, i began to see that it wasn't your regular sort of reality show.

First of all, one of the really neat things about the show is that it seems to pick families with very unique needs. For example, they have built homes for families with physically challenged members, one family with an autistic child, a single mom raising adopted children with AIDS, a family with two hearing impaired parents, even a family with a girl who is allergic to sunlight. They generally build the house around those specific needs, which leads to some interesting designs.

Another neat thing about the show is how they share the story of the family. Its not just some random family that is chosen, they actually share quite a bit about the history of the family, as well as their struggles to deal with the challenges in their life, and their desire to remain together. Some of the stories are truly amazing, and this is usually the part of the show where i find myself biting my lip, trying not to burst into tears.

I'm not sure what it is. I guess i find it very inspiring to hear these stories from families that have gone through so much, yet were able to maintain the core of what it means to actually be a family. It's not very often in this day and age that you find a television show that holds up these values. It's not very often in this day and age that you will find a show that uses words like "grace" and "love" and "joy" and "faith" and "family" and "community" in ways that have real meaning. Not only does it use the words, but it demonstrates them in real ways as well.

The part of the show that really gets me sobbing is when they bring the family back and they see the house for the first time. After hearing so much about what they have gone through in life, watching them see their house for the first time is pretty cool. As a viewer, every time i watch it, i think 'no one deserves this more than that family', and i think that about every family they have on the show! The truly amazing thing [and this is what gets me every time] is to watch how thankful they are. You don't see that sort of joy and thankfulness on other shows. You don't see people reacting with such sincere gratitude when they "win" a million dollars on Survivor, or the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right. I guess it's all tied to the idea of their house being their home. That is where their family lives, and loves and struggles together. It's like being able to start all of that over again in a new, safe, clean, incredible environment, and it's really cool to be able to watch someone realize that for the first time.

Every time i finish watching the show, [even though i've cried] i feel good. I think TV needs more shows that can convey these sorts of ideas. There are very few shows that lift people up in the way that this one does. I'm not sure i could think of even one.

If you haven't watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition, you owe it to yourself to give it a look. Just make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy, and don't say i didn't warn you!