The Neighborhood
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Send to a friend by YMAuthor: Anne Goodrich
A blizzard one November made me grateful for old-fashioned neighbors, and started me musing about just how large my neighborhood really is.
On a Sunday morning in November the snow started falling in my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. With our close proximity to Lake Michigan, we are also the beneficiaries of lake effect snow, which occurs when arctic air forms over the Great Lakes, picking up heat and moisture and depositing a “bonus” amount of snow over our region.
Within two days Lake Michigan graced us with a record-breaking total of 24 inches of the white powdery stuff. My 11-year-old son had gone out early that morning to shovel, but by nightfall there was no sign that any dent had ever been made in the snow. With my weak back, and my older daughter sick with a cold, I decided that any more snow removal efforts could wait until morning. We were just finishing dinner when my son Carman heard a noise outside and opened the door to investigate. There at the bottom of our steps, in the freezing cold, was our neighbor from across the street just finishing up from shoveling our driveway, sidewalk and porch. I was barely done with my profuse thank you’s to this young father when another neighbor walked over and began shoveling snow out from behind my car.
It’s rare that I do any baking, but coincidentally this day I had just happened to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I quickly sent my son out with two bags full of cookies for my kindhearted neighbors. Later, while resting on my couch, I had time to reflect, and was filled with a strong feeling of nostalgia. I was musing about how years ago neighbors used to always watch out for each other, bring casseroles when someone was sick, and take turns watching each other’s children.
And then I realized that those days aren’t gone. There are still people helping out their neighbors, like my Shoveling Angels did. However, sometimes now our “neighbors” and friends are those we have met on the Internet, and there is some wonderful, miraculous help being given via this online world. The neighborhoods may have changed, but people’s hearts have not. We have just created a neighborhood unrestricted by sidewalks and street signs. Our friends and “neighbors” live in all different parts of this country and the world, and they do what neighbors have always done. Our inboxes have become our backyard fence, and we share our lives and laughter with each other, send our prayers, offer encouragement, and provide a virtual shoulder to lean on when needed. I’ve learned that love and friendship can come across a computer cable just as easily as across a shaded street. I am blessed and thankful for all my neighbors – the ones who live next door to me, and the ones online who live next door in my heart.
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