My family and I just had the exciting yet challenging task
of moving to a new home. As most of you
know moving is emotionally, physically and mentally draining. First you have feelings of melancholy because
you are leaving your old “home” behind, and those feelings are mixed with exhilaration
because you are moving to a new house that you will soon make your home. After those mixed emotions pass you have the
feelings of weariness varied with vigor trying to get your belongings moved and
unpacked. Once you are officially moved
and your house is now your humble abode, you face the pleasure of meeting your
neighbors and finding your place on the block. Of course meeting your neighbors
may be the last thing on your mind after such a draining task, but I find it
very important. Did you know that eight times in the New Testament of the Bible
we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves? It might be seem difficult to even fathom the
idea of “loving” someone we don’t even know, or someone we have nothing in
common with other than living next door to each other. But the truth of the matter is that God
commands this of us.
When we finally got moved in I had tons of ideas running
through my head, from baking mini loaves of banana bread to making one of those
“jar recipes”. I have all these ideas
but can’t seem to settle on just one. I
want to make a jar recipe, bake bread, buy mini candles and bring a bouquet of
flowers, but let’s face it, I don’t grow money on the tree in the backyard and
all of my ideas could end up costing a ton.
Whatever happened to going next door, introducing myself and letting
them know that I am always around if they need anything? Most likely, they could care less whether I bring
them a gift, but it is more reasonable to believe that my words and actions have
a better chance of leaving a lasting impression.
I am very lucky in the fact that I have always have fantastic
neighbors and I encourage you to reach out to yours and hopefully find that camaraderie
that I have always found with my next door neighbors.
How are you “neighborly”?
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