...with a husband and 5 sons, I am truly outnumbered....stories and thoughts on life from a mom in a houseful of little men!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

So Easy to "Love These Neighbors..."


Ten years ago, when Tony and I were looking to buy a home, it was not an easy ordeal. We looked for months, and nothing seemed to fit. Finally we found one we loved. It was very, very small, but was built to "grow". It had a gorgeous, established yard, with Lilacs and all sorts of perennials, and a creek running through it. Unfortunately, it didn't have one of the building inspections done that we needed to qualify for our financing. We continued on the search. Several months later, we found a nice place we could picture being ours. We entered into contract and paid for an inspection. We found out the foundation was rotted. Contract void. After all this, we decided to build. We were open to most locations, and really only had one location we didn't want to look into. It would be easy to find raw land, right? We found it was not so easy after all.

Meanwhile, living above the vet clinic where I worked literally around the clock and being in my 2nd trimester of pregnancy...we had a LITTLE bit of stress going on. Our real estate agent found us a great little piece of land...the only problem? It was in one of the only areas we had been opposed to because of the monotonous drive it took to get there. However, our first little son was well on his way, and this mama was in SERIOUS "nesting mode". Other than location, it fit all of our major criteria. We decided to go for it. We had no idea that this location would be such a blessing to us in so many ways, and indeed would feel hand-picked by God just for us.

There are many things about this location that we've grown to love. There is one thing that we loved almost immediately--the fact that this land came with the best neighbors in the world. Within days of us moving in, there was fresh-baked bread and a kind note on the doorstep. The note had a big smiley face on it--a trademark which we would come to know very well. Soon we had the pleasure of meeting part of this welcoming family at the end of our driveway. It was the first of many, many such visits to come. Not long after we had our first family get-together. Through the years, we have gone for many walks, drunk many cups of tea, prayed together and for one another, and gone on many adventures together. We have spent hours (not all at one time!) talking together in the middle of the road. We have shared many birthdays and meals. We've welcomed each others' new babies, and fed each other during those times and times when we were ill or discouraged. We've spit watermelon seeds, roasted marshmallows, and eaten ice cream atop mountains. Our families have grown simultaneously. Just this evening, we danced to the beat of our nine children as they romped and played. We spent hours picking potatoes and apples, eating a meal on the lawn together, roasting marshmallows around a campfire, laughing, and enjoying each other....just because it was a beautiful, starry, autumn evening.

These are some of the coolest, kindest, funnest, most genuine individuals we've ever met. They ooze Jesus. We are always better people for having spent time with them. Some people are just so easy to love. Some people we just hope and pray we can be SOME bit of blessing to, because they are just so over-the-top a blessing to us. I'm just so thankful for friendships like this....and I am humbled because many of you who will read this are just as big of a blessing to us as what I describe. This post is in honor of our friendships. Thank you.

1 comment:

SnowRider said...

I know of whom you speak and I have to agree. They are very special people! However, you guys are very special also. I consider us very blessed to be able to call both your family and theirs our friends!
Dave H.