“Move that bus! Move that bus! Move that bus!” my smiling three-year-old chanted, as she marched around our playroom this morning. Her enthusiasm was ironic, given her response to the real crowds chanting these three magic words just an hour earlier, but we’ll get to that.

Today my daughter Brooke and I were part of the crowd of 1,000 spectators welcoming the Watson family home for the ABC show, “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.” Since the show has now gone off the air and this is the last special slated to air around Thanksgiving, this was a momentous occasion for TV history and for Knoxville. It was an occasion for which I wanted to reminisce one day and say, “I was there.”

This would be a very different story if I weren’t a stay-at-home mom with young children. The older two were in school, but Brooke is with me most of the time. One key benefit of being a SAHM is the freedom to bring my kids to unique experiences. However, with that freedom comes responsibility for caring for the often changing whims, needs, and attitudes of toddlers no matter what. 

Now, I had a pretty good idea what monumental task I was taking on: asking a toddler to stay put and content while we stood primarily idle–in mud–waiting for a TV crew to spring into action. I was hauling all 30 pounds of her on my back for potentially several hours. Watching the producers and film crew pace back and forth, I was swept back to the years I’d spent on the other side of the barricades. I had been the producer on the walkie talkie, shadowing my camera man, instructing the crowd not to look at the camera. Different show, same theatrics. I had even interviewed Ty a decade ago for TLC’s hit show, “Trading Spaces.” And yes, he was a nice guy. How odd it felt not to have credentials around my neck.

The big reveal had been slated for 10:00am. I got antsy as I looked at my phone’s clock: 10:13, 10:28, 10:37…They had shot the crowd cutaways shouting, “Move that bus!” but the family was still nowhere in sight. Then an angel voice behind me came through loud and clear, “Mommy, I wanna go home.” I stalled with goldfish, stalled with water, stalled with a pacifyer (usually reserved just for bedtime now; I was desperate!). We even stepped away from the crowds so that she could run around across the street, but it was too late. You know that melt down phase that toddlers enter…the point of no return. The only solution was to head to the car. Part of me cried, “But we’re so close! You can’t leave now!” Another part said, “Is seeing a bus move really worth torturing your child?” And besides, any one of these strangers could be on the phone with Child Services reporting a negligent mom. 

It was at this point I was thankful I had not taken a shuttle bus and had stashed the van one block away. We exited quickly and were home with hot chocolate and marshmallows within 20 minutes. It turns out the reveal happened 45 minutes after we left. From where we had been, I wouldn’t have been able to see the family or the film crews anyway.

Now in the warmth of my home, I ponder what drew a thousand people to stand in the cold and the mud–some for SIX hours–to be part of this experience? Was it the draw of celebrities like Ty Pennington and Jenny McCarthy? Had they volunteered during the rain, snow, or howling winds this past week? Did they want to see themselves on television? Or could it have been simply the desire to be a part of something bigger and greater than themselves? Even though we missed the big moment, I take comfort that I got the big message.

When it comes to changing lives on a grand scale, “Extreme Makeover” has it down. Aside from the desire to make good TV, I do believe the producers had good hearts with noble intentions. They accomplished what most builders would have said was simply impossible before the show. You can’t build an incredible house in 7 days–you just can’t! They made the impossible, possible…again and again. Isn’t there a nugget in all of us that wants to be a part of that? And don’t we all want to pay it forward in some way?

I believe in the good nature of all human beings. And the good news is that we don’t need a TV show to prove it. My wish for Knoxville is that “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” lit a fire in our town. The frenzy is over, but the real opportunities can now begin. Surely this fire will make every individual seek at least one way to be bigger, greater, more awesome by volunteering. Maybe you help build a Habitat for Humanity house, maybe you become a mentor for the Boys and Girls Club, or maybe you donate money, food, or supplies to a few of the hundreds of amazing non-profits that serve our community. The ripple effect blows the mind. Small gestures can evolve into big blessings. The only question remains, “How will you look back and say, ‘I was there!’”?

For WATE’s coverage, check out this video.

Please leave a comment about where or how you plan to serve our community. Thanks for sharing!