The following may be corny and will only enrage the few InterNACHI haters I have seen on the message boards.
I’m thankful for InterNACHI this Thanksgiving. I have been a Building Code Inspector/Plan Reviewer for more than 10 years, started doing home inspections for/with another home inspector a few years ago and started my home inspection business this year. To me home inspections was a way to be able to help more people as I have seen the result of too many poor inspections. I thought about first joining ASHI, then I came across NAHI, for some reason those two are very popular. I finally entered the InterNACHI website and was hooked. It was apparent that InterNACHI is very committed to education, which is extremely important to me. Of all the education I have received through college or through code inspection seminars or training or from working in construction (since I was 13), the education I have received so far through InterNACHI is second to none. Albeit the education is the most important to me, the thousands of other benefits all for ~$500 is an unbelievable deal!
For all of this, I am Thankful for InterNACHI this Thanksgiving.
With the exception of the building Inspector, my story is very similar to yours. ASHI and NAHI are both great Home Inspector Organizations, but in my opinion InterNACHI beats both of them together. I have accomplished a lot in just 40 years here on this earth, but being a proud member of InterNACHI is without a doubt the smartest decision that I have ever made.
I agree with you Stephen that the education rocks and the benefits are many. I love the InterNACHI family the most, from Nick and his staff to the newcomers like yourself. I respect so many members here and even non members who join in on certain message boards.
Eighteen years ago I had a passion for this industry like no other. I first took two correspondence courses in home inspection while working three 16 hour days straight at Carilion Giles Memorial hospital. I was on call carrying a pager, getting paid the rest of the days a week. I made good money, no doubt. I graduated both of those courses in only 6 months, with an A, in each school.
My Grandfather (Frank James) from Holdenville, Oklahoma was in the hospital and couldn’t talk due to a very bad stroke. When I told him that I was going to be a Home Inspector and that in only 6 months that I passed both schools with an A, while working his eyes lit up. Telling him that and that I loved him was the last thing that I ever got to say to him.
Thanksgiving and Christmas, are very special times to me because of both of my Grandparents who raised me, when they didn’t have too. I no longer have either one of my Grandparentswith me. They both went to be with the Good Lord.
I am all alonetoday, no family, no friends. Stephen, I am happy to say that I couldn’t be any more thankful than what I am today. There is an old saying: You don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone. I thank God for letting me be Michael Wayne Altizer from Southwest Virginia. My family andfriendsfrom Baltimore Maryland to Lake worth Florida and all the way to San Antonio Texas call me both the Virginia Gentleman, a Hero and the Living Legend. It is an honor to me to know that in my short life here on this earth, I have touched so many peoples lives.
I am making the most of today by being thankful for both the good times and the bad. I get to see my daughter (Autumn) tomorrow, until my 41st birthday on Monday December 1st. She is leaving me on Tuesday December 2nd, to go with her mother to Zebulon, North Carolina. It is killing me missing my Grandparents, friendsthat I have lost and knowing that this may be the last time that I ever get too see my daughter (Autumn).
I am thankful for being an InterNACHI member as well. I am thankful foreach and every InterNACHI member(these guys rock). I am thankful for the prayers, words of encouragement, and all of the help that I have got from being an almost 5 year member of this great Home Inspector Organization.
When I felt like everything had ended for me recently and there was no hope,InterNACHI gave me hope.
Happy Thanksgiving Stephen. Count your blessings and you’ll find out that you have a million of them.
I’d like to end this by saying: Welcome to our family of Home Inspectors.
Things will get better . Trust me Michael. It will be all up to you.
My Mother, Father and Grandmother got killed all at the same time when they were hit by a passenger train when I was 5 months old. I lived at a Mennonite children’s home most of the time until I went to 6 grade.Then I lived on the streets of Tampa and mostly in Ybor City to get away from the drunk family members that was suppose to be taking care of me. I couldn’t take the beating.
I shined shoes at night at all the latin private clubs and bars. After that I would find me a few nice comfortable boxes and go to bed, sleep would mostly elude me. I have suffer every type of abused you can think of, But I’m a very happy person , However it wasn’t always the way.
Alway look forward and never back.
The past is history , The future is a fantasy, all you have is the here and now.
You can change the future by what you do and think in the here and now.
I still have my old shoe shine box that I use to help inspire people to never give up. Notice it still has 15 cents on it. I made that box at the boys club when I was about 7 or 8.
Never Give Up!..Never!
I am inspired by your story. I have a lot of respect for you. I am sorry to hear about your family, it saddened my heart to hear. I'll be okay Roy. Most of the time I stay busy trying to build me a new website, thanks to Dominic and get things the way that I want them for my reporting software. To be honest as far as sleep, every two days I might get 4-5 hours of sleep combined. I cry sometimes, especially after my daughter ends the call with me. I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I will probably not post any for the next day or so because I need to spend time with my daughter (Autumn). Thanks for caring Roy. I just prayed to our Heavenly Father for you and your family. Take care God Bless You Roy Lewis and Happy Thanksgiving.
Inspirational story Roy. Thank you for sharing that with all of us.
My story was a little different.
I started working when I was 14 because my parents could not afford to feed us. I moved out when I was 16 and lived on the streets for a winter. I still went to work at the construction site every day even though I had lack of sleep and food. I was working but all of my money went to my parents to help ease the burden. To this day they do not know that I was living in a cardboard box. When I was seventeen I moved out of Saskatoon and off to Jasper Alberta. I lived in a staff accommodation and worked three jobs. Construction during the day and washing dishes at night. On my two days off I worked as a housekeeper at a different hotel. I still sent money home all of the time even though my Father and Mother were much better off. When I bought my franchise five years ago my parents handed me a check for 10,000.00 dollars. All the money I had sent them from Jasper they had put away for me until I really needed it.
I am very thankful for that and am still a very giving person because of it.
