Neighborliness

Lest you think neighborliness has gone the way of the dinosaurs, I beg to differ.  I found it in the apartment catty-corner to my mother's.  Inside dwell an elderly couple who, whether they realize it or not, have been God's hands and feet to my mom.  Though they barely know her, they have visited my mom in the hospital, bring her their newspaper when they're finished with it, and retrieve objects that are beyond my mother's reach.  They have stood at the top of the steps holding open the door when they see me coming with groceries, faithfully get Mom's mail out of the box every afternoon and given her their phone number with the request to call her if she has any trouble.  And upon finding out that I was at the apartment helping one day at lunchtime, ladeled up two big bowls of homemade noodle soup and popped over to deliver it.

After washing up those bowls and stepping across the hall to gratefully return them, I remarked to Mom that there are some definite benefits to living two steps away from others.  Neighborliness is definitely not dead.  Praise God.