One of my neighbors is leaving. It happens a lot these days. In this fast paced world people often move seeking work or a better place to live. I myself moved several times over the years before settling in where I am today. I don't see myself moving from here anytime soon, though. I love my home, cherish my community, and enjoy being surrounded by such good neighbors.

The truth is I have had a lot of good neighbors over the years. It was my elderly neighbor who became my Godfather when I was a boy. It was our neighbors who first came to our aid when my childhood home later burned down in the middle of the night. When I was in high school it was our neighbor who gave me a ride to school every single morning.

After moving in here I felt blessed to have first my Grandma and later my Dad as neighbors. It felt so wonderful as well to live in a neighborhood full of such giving and caring people. Over the years we have shared newspapers and helped each other with yard work. In the Winter we have pushed each other's cars out of the snow and shoveled each other's drives. It was my neighbors who helped me fix my wiring when I lost electricity and put in a new waterline when my old one broke. It was the neighborhood children that my own kids spent hours riding bikes with on all those sunny, summer afternoons years ago. I am sure then that any new neighbors I get will be nice ones too. The ones who recently moved in next door have already brightened our days with their warmth, kindness, and joy. They reminded me again that good neighbors make good neighbors and that loving hearts make happy neighborhoods.

One of the two greatest commandments God gave us was that we should: "Love our neighbor as ourselves." Perhaps one day everyone will follow it and we will turn this whole world into God's neighborhood: full of love, full of joy, full of light, and full of togetherness.

© Joseph J. Mazzella
Used with permission

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Let's make a difference and include all of God's children into our neighborhood. Adelle

Midi playing ~ "Always By Your Side"
Rev. Margaret Cox
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Artwork by Betsy Brown entitled "Southern Grace"
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