Like a good neighbor

5 years ago today when my neighbor died, I wrote this. I repost it today in her honor and so I don’t forget.

Almost 11 years ago I made a new friend. I know that the Bible says if you want a friend, you must show yourself friendly. But that is not one of my strong suits. I made this friend by accident. By accident I mean the providence of God. I happened to move in next door to her. She was my neighbor, Linda. She was a good neighbor. Thoughtful, not not nosy. Helpful but not to the point of being a pest. I don’t know how many times over the past decade she brought something over to the house. She made “too much” chili. Someone gave her “too much” dessert. She just had to give it to us or it would go to waste. There was a sale on something and it was just as cheap to buy more than she could use.

One hot summer day, there was some road construction going on down our street. I came home for lunch. I remember being aggravated by the traffic congestion on our street. I remember saying to myself as I watched the workers that I was glad I worked in the air conditioning. Then I saw Linda come out of her house with glasses of lemonade. She passed them out to the workers. I shamefully retreated back into my air conditioning.

Linda died yesterday. It’s wasn’t a shock, she had been dying for months. Cancer, I hate that word. She leaves a grieving husband and two children at home. And a very sad neighbor.