Neighbors

“We should all be concerned about our neighbor
and the good things that will build his faith.”
Romans 15:2

It’s usually the people with whom we have the most contact that also cause the biggest “rubs” in our lives. Neighbors may fit into that category at times. Paul likely knew how neighbors can affect each other…in good ways and bad ways. Though he was often on the move, unless he was in exile on a deserted island, he likely had experienced a “neighbor.”

In our first home, our neighbor was a sweet, old woman who had never had kids. Our three
busy little boys were “interesting” to her. One day, in the midst of making a cake, I realized I
had no eggs, and called my neighbor to ask if I could borrow two. My two-year-old was
“helping” me, seated on the counter watching the mixing process. My neighbor popped in,
handed me the two eggs and went back to her house. My little helper soon climbed down and disappeared as I was mixing in the borrowed eggs. I assumed he had better things to do.

Then my phone rang. It was my neighbor. “Did you get the eggs, Jan?”

I asked, “What eggs?”

She said, “The two eggs Seth came to get from me, because you had broken the first two.”
As the little guy appeared through the back door, carefully holding the two eggs in his little
hands, my sweet neighbor and I shared a delighted laugh.

Nothing profound, nor deeply meaningful. But it was a sweet moment provided by a little boy who had innocently created a special memory shared by two neighbors.