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Good Neighbors

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

Nobody ever told me that buying a house would consume all of my time. I have had little time to write lately due to working on house projects and dealing with some dental issues, also. (Fascinating stuff, I know.)

But I am pleased to report that in the midst of a busy schedule I have made a wonderful discovery: I have great neighbors!

The neighbor to the left of us is a single Mom who teaches piano out of her house. She and her 10-year-old daughter welcomed us to the neighborhood with a vase of flowers and some bulbs to plant in our yard.

When she saw me clearing brush from my back fence, she warned me about the poison oak and sumac growing back there and gave me her bottle of skin lotion to protect me from getting a rash.

We have talked at length about many topics: trees and flowers, rocks, astronomy, bugs, my neglected rose bush, birds, and church. She has a good listening ear and was apparently raised to not just talk but also listen…a rare quality.

She and my wife have walked together in our quiet neighborhood, and both share a love of music and teaching kids the piano.

The neighbors to the right of us are newly retired and in their sixties. They welcomed us to the neighborhood with a handmade bird-feeder designed for Baltimore Orioles. They always make it a point to say hello, and they have a large German Shepherd named Smokey who loves to play fetch with sticks.

The husband is always remarking that our house is coming along well. He calls me “slacker” in good fun, since I work all day then come home and work on our house until dark.

The other day, I was set to clean out the front gutters but had no ladder to reach them. I brought out a folding chair and stood on that, barely able to reach.

He saw me doing that and said, “Whoa, time out!” He called me over to his garage, went inside, and came out with a green six-foot ladder. He gave it to me to keep!

I thanked him profusely and he said, “Eric, I have so many ladders, I’ve been waiting for a guy like you to give one to. I was the young guy in the neighborhood once, too.” He also gave me a crowbar, which will come in handy for many projects.

I told him I’d pay his generosity forward to another “young guy in the neighborhood” someday. That made him smile.

God has blessed us with very kind and helpful neighbors. I hope that we can be the same toward them. I’m looking for those opportunities to be a blessing to them.

Do you have good neighbors?

Perhaps the better question is: Are you the kind of neighbor that others want to have living next to them?

10 thoughts on “Good Neighbors”

  1. How do you have time to write such easy-to-read and meaningful posts? God has blessed you with your house in that neighborhood with those wonderful neighbors. Your neighbors have also been blessed with you and your wife as gracious neighbors. God is good! 🙂

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    1. It’s been hard to find time, but I figured the Lord wants me to write about what’s been happening. I have more adventures in home renovation and landscaping…tomorrow will be about “Hard Neighbors”.😉

      God bless you, Miss Nancy!

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  2. This is so wonderful and heartwarming to read! I thought good neighbors were a thing of the past, or maybe they just exist in the Midwest? Where I live, neighbors grumble about other neighbors on the Nextdoor app and call to report people if their weeds are too high or if they set their bulk trash out for pickup too early. It’s true that we should BE a good neighbor first. Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. Thanks, and so sorry to hear about those kind of neighbors. I’ve had some of those in the past. Tomorrow will be about “Hard Neighbors”, lest you think life in the Midwest is peachy and sweet all the time.😆

      Thanks for your encouragement, Heather!

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  3. What a lovely encouraging post Eric. Thank you for sharing it with us today. Sadly our neighbour on one side who used to be good have become a problem in the last few weeks. We are quite sure that Alzheimers or something of that sort is to blame for his change in demeanour to us. We keep praying about it. May our Father God continue to guide and bless you and your neighbours 🙏

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    1. Ahh yes, “changing neighbors” can be very tricky and require a lot of grace and patience in order to keep things pleasant.
      I’m sure that God will provide you with both as you are an ambassador for Him.

      God bless you brother Alan!👍🏻🙏

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    1. Amen! I grew up in the country among the same type of people. And every trip to the general store was an hour because you ran into people and just talked with them until your cold groceries had to be rushed home and quickly refrigerated.😆

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