Suburban Chicago builder Perry Bigelow poses with a few of the people he is most thankful for - his granddaughters.
In 1986, after reading Robert Bellah’s book Habits of the Heart, it struck builder Perry Bigelow that he was doing housing wrong. Strongly influenced by his own faith and perhaps thinking of his children and grandchildren, he simply changed the way he looked at home building.
He says he strives to create communities that are "culturally sustainable," where both human and natural habitat are sustained. That means building safe, healthy communities where families can afford to live, where neighbors are actually neighborly and where kids can live, learn and grow.
Here, he shares his personal list of what he’s thankful for.
What I’m Thankful For:
1.) God’s free gift of life now and forever.
2.) Jesus who shows me how to live lovingly.
3.) My children and grandchildren who are proof that God has not given up on mankind.
4.) The opportunity to do good work that has eternal significance - to design and build homes
6.) The opportunity to work in the business with my son Jaime, who is a better leader of people than I am.
7.) The opportunity this year of building a new home in one of our communities for my daughter Shari, her husband Scott and three of my grandchildren, Victoria, Rachel and Nicholas.