At 69 years old, Homer Williams has finally found what he’s been searching for his entire life: a family and a home to call his own.
“It’s like Heaven,” Williams describes, “I like this farm.”
The farm, located just southeast of Des Moines, is now Williams’ “forever home.”
Williams was born with intellectual disabilities and has been bouncing from temporary home to temporary home his entire life… until now.
He spends his days with the animals, playing music and enjoying the company of his new family, Michelle and Alan Vry.
The Vry’s never expected they would add to their family after their two kids grew up and left the nest.
But when they learned a local organization called “Mosaic” was looking for host families for intellectually disabled adults, they became interested. Soon, their curiosity became led them to their calling.
“It’s kind of like going to the pet store or going to the ARL, and the first thing people see is that puppy and they want to take that puppy home because it’s the cutest and the most fun,” Michelle Vry explains. “And right over in the corner is that old dog who’s weathered all the storms and has so much love to give. And we forget about that old dog. And if somebody just took the time to find out that they are so full of love, they have so much to offer, and they need so much from us.”
Williams has been living with the Vrys for just about a month, and both say their “new normal” couldn’t feel more right. Williams now has the family he’s always dreamed of, and the Vry’s have a new life with a man they’ve come to love.
“We don’t just get the privilege of keeping Homer in our home for good,” says Michelle Vry, “We get the honor of keeping Homer in our home for good.”
“The change it’s made in my life after having Homer in our home is I am so much more grateful for everything that I have that I’ve taken for granted. The joy that I get to see on his face everyday is a new experience. Things he has never been able to witness, things he’s never seen, things he’s never done. He is funny; I laugh more than I have ever laughed before.”
The organization that placed Williams says it has done the same thing for about 85 adults in Central Iowa.
