When I wrote my book back in 2005 I was watching the neighbors on our block put up and take down hurricane shutters for the "old guy" across the street. Four times neighbors marched over to "Mr. Stark’s" house and put shutters up and took them down. When Chuck and I took a cruise and hurricane Irma struck, our neighbors cleaned up all the millions of yard toys I kept in my yard… and closed up our house and sheds. Last night my neighbor across the lake called us because she saw a bright light low in the street trained on the lot and space next to our house… It reminds me of what a neighbor is: One who keeps an eye on us and calls if something is amiss; one who doesn’t worry to call if she needs several potatoes; one who calls if she needs a baby diapered because she just hurt her shoulder…. Our neighbor Kathie called us when she fell off her stoop… she actually couldn’t use her right arm, but she was baby sitting her little great nephew. Chuck went over and diapered the baby and ensured Kathie would get to the emergency room. She had broken her shoulder in that fall! For months we cooked for her and I put her hair in pony tails while she healed. In a sense it was fortunate because that was the exact time we needed help in the rebuild of the back of our house after hurricanes Katrina and Wilma took our back roof off… and Kathie’s husband worked with us so he could be near Kathie! It was a true case of neighbors helping neighbors.
So! What’s the take away here? If you are like me… You appreciate a neighbor watching for you! If you are my neighbor, know that I’m checking your yard and doors occasionally and looking for you to be outside, working on your boat, hanging laundry, mowing the lawn or just out there picking up stuff. I try to be outside every day as sunlight is so important for us, and, so my neighbor will know, if she needs anything; we are here. Hey Kathie! Need a can of beans or milk….? Love you! God bless you. Angels with us.