I thanked the contractors who donated labor and the volunteers who showed up even when the weather turned ugly.

Then I paused.

“I once thought being strong meant needing no one,” I told the room.

“For a while, after I was injured, I thought accepting help meant I was no longer the person I’d been before.

But service isn’t a solo performance.

Nobody gets a roof repaired alone.

Nobody recovers alone.

We can be capable and still need each other.”