This month I feature a community act of kindness done for my family. To start, you need to understand that gardening has been my husband’s passion for as long as I have known him. And I have been his garden “assistant” for 10 years. Bob has a whimsical view of his gardens and likes to include statues here and there to enhance the display with humor.
Unfortunately, we did not do the regular autumn clean-up on our gardens last year, which makes the gardening work this spring a little more challenging. However, God sent us three angels to help with the work.
Recently a neighbor was out with her children (5-12 years old) and they saw me working in the yard. They stopped by to say hello, and while the ladies stood and talked, the kids spotted the statues that were tipped over in the yard (darn squirrels!). As they set the statues up, they started to spot the “gnomes” (and accessories) in various positions, and asked me if they could start setting them up together. It did not take me long to say, “Yes! Please!”
The picture shows the result of their labors, while the adults continued to chat. I was so impressed with their diligence and focus while they accumulated the 30-40 pieces of the gnomes, trolls, etc. (And thus far, the squirrels have not attacked the village.)
Frequently we don’t know the struggles our neighbors are experiencing, but it can be a huge act of kindness just to offer some assistance. Watch for those opportunities to help a neighbor get groceries from the car to the front door, or sweep up the sidewalk after a summer storm, or just share an excess of fruits and vegetables from the farmer’s market. Your help may be declined, but it should make you and the neighbor feel better for the offer.