One of the perks of serving with Mission Year is their emphasis on building community with your neighbors. I've been delighted to hear Abbey's stories of getting to know Miss Dottie and Miss Debbie and others. During last weekend's visit, I enjoyed participating in neighborhood day, which happens every Saturday.
What if each of us took out one day a week from our busy lives, spent it in our neighborhood, walking around, meeting neighbors, only shopping close to home, and investing in our own communities? [That wouldn't work in most of our suburban isolation. How many of us even have a grocery store that we can walk or ride the bus to?] Just think about the implications of investing one whole day each week of time, energy and resources back into your neighborhood.
For me, it was a day of swelling pride and a heart growing bigger with love when I met two of the ladies that are "looking out for" my kid. They both sang the praises to the moms that were visiting for how wonderful our children are and how grateful they are to have them nearby.
What a blessing!
These sweet ladies took a risk letting their young neighbors into their lives. Miss Dottie exclaimed, "I've never let anybody else around here in my house!" These wonderful grandmas have driven the kids to church when it's raining, given them canned food they won't need for themselves, and even let them use their wash machines a few times. As wonderful as these have been, the most profound gift for all has been companionship and another friend to love.
What if each of us took out one day a week from our busy lives, spent it in our neighborhood, walking around, meeting neighbors, only shopping close to home, and investing in our own communities? [That wouldn't work in most of our suburban isolation. How many of us even have a grocery store that we can walk or ride the bus to?] Just think about the implications of investing one whole day each week of time, energy and resources back into your neighborhood.
For me, it was a day of swelling pride and a heart growing bigger with love when I met two of the ladies that are "looking out for" my kid. They both sang the praises to the moms that were visiting for how wonderful our children are and how grateful they are to have them nearby.
What a blessing!
These sweet ladies took a risk letting their young neighbors into their lives. Miss Dottie exclaimed, "I've never let anybody else around here in my house!" These wonderful grandmas have driven the kids to church when it's raining, given them canned food they won't need for themselves, and even let them use their wash machines a few times. As wonderful as these have been, the most profound gift for all has been companionship and another friend to love.
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