Good Neighbors

Growing up I had limited experience with neighbors, at least those not related to me. We lived in the country so neighbors were not close by, not like I have now. When I was in high school we moved but I never had a connection with the people who were our neighbors. Donnie and I were married 11 years and 1 week before we moved into our house and not once in those 11 years 1 week did we have sane neighbors on both sides. When we first married our neighbor was a drug dealer, when we moved to Chester the lady who shared our duplex was certifiably crazy and when we bought our first house, our neighbors were yard nazis. I say all this to tell you that it took us 11 years and 1 week to find good neighbors, but when we found them, we really struck gold.

We share a driveway with our neighbors to the right, Don and Pete (I know you may be confused here, but don't worry, they're not life partners. I have found it customary in Chester for some women to be called men's names. I can't figure it out amd stopped trying, but I felt you should know Pete is a she.) The shared driveway thing is the way our neighborhood was created when it was built 50+ years ago. Don has lived here his whole life, grew up around the corner, got married and moved into the house where he lives now. Don can tell you all kinds of history about this place. He makes me wish I lived "back in the day." He has known Donnie and his family for years and years, at least back to their high school days (not Donnie's, his parents). He went to our church and served faithfully there until God called him to pastor a small congregation.

He cuts grass as a side job and owns an impressive amount of rakes, pitchforks, and shovels. He used to cut our grass occasionally when Donnie had so much work to do, he couldn't get to it. We worked out a pretty sweet deal - he cut our grass and I'd bake him a cake (pun intended - haha). Don has always told us we could borrow whatever yard tools we needed. The other day while he was out working in his own yard, I asked him if we could borrow his tiller to make a small garden spot. He gave me a little advice about using it and I told him I'd try to get it from him a little later since I had to run errands. He asked me where I planned on putting it. I told him and left to do what I had to do. When I came back this is what I found.



My sweet neighbor had tilled my spot for me. When I thanked him, he told me he didn't mind, that it gave him something to do. Believe me, he has plenty to do, but I am so very thankful for him and for his blessing us in that way. The Bible tells us in several places to love your neighbor as yourself. There are many folks who do that. Then there are folks like Don who love their neighbors more.