A friend of mine recently shared a story with me. A simple tale of neighborly affection that leans into the idea that what we do truly matters: that acts of kindness can actually come full circle.
Here. We. Go. Story Time!
Once upon a time there lived a family on a two-block street with neighbors all around them. With three young children of their own, Kris and Rachel, had much to tend to. But with a full neighborhood surrounding them, they were encouraged to look beyond their property lines and help when able. The family soon found themselves helping an elderly couple with outdoor tasks such as mowing the lawn, trimming hedges and raking leaves. More or less, an extension of the work they were doing for themselves, poured over into the yards and the hearts of the neighbors that lived next door. Kindness is always sweetest when reciprocated, and reciprocated it was. Kris, Rachel and their children enjoyed many memories with their neighbors. Years passed and so did the elderly couple who Kris and Rachel had the fortune of calling friends. Years later, the daughter of these treasured neighbors reached out to Rachel and Kris to share her appreciation for all that had been done to assist and care for her parents. This alone is a delight and could be the very place where this story ends. But it does not.
As time went on, neighboring homes were bought and sold and the families that took up the ranks of "neighbor" changed. One house in particular sat vacant for sometime, until recently when a family from out of town moved in. As most neighbors do, the newly settled homeowner wandered across the street to introduce herself to Kris who happened to be shoveling. As the two talked, the woman shared how her friend's parent's had lived on the very street they had moved to [no knowledge of which house had been theirs]. This new neighbor went on to share how her friend's parents had been blessed with kind and loving neighbors and how she too was hopeful they might come to know that same neighborly affection.
Now, I don't know all the details as to whether Kris eagerly raised his hand and shouted "That was ME"! If I had to guess he smiled politely and shared that he had the pleasure of knowing her friends parents and simply helped when and where they were able. However, when Kris walked inside and shared this encounter with Rachel, the fullness of this story hit them with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and awe for the opportunity to see a simple act of kindness come full circle.
"All human beings are my neighbors.
We share the same planet."
Ana Monnar
I love this story. LOVE IT! And when I sit and think about this tale of kind-hearted service, I'm reminded that neighbors are not limited to the men and women who share a property line. Imagine what would happen if everyone extended that same neighborly affection to the person passing by on the street, or to the terrible driver in the car ahead, or to the woman with the crying baby in the grocery store...we are all neighbors to some degree with varying proximity. So no matter where you are or who you are with, you can always choose to be the desirable neighbor.
