As challenging as these past months of isolation have been, there鈥檙e lots of positive things happening in our neighbourhood. First, there are a lot of new fences and paint jobs. With time on their hands, neighbours are installing, repairing and upgrading their yards. Fruit, vegetable and flower gardens are spectacular and down the street, in the next block, an 鈥渆lderly鈥� house has been raised and a new basement is being installed. Several blocks the opposite direction, but still on our street, another neighbour has built the most imaginative and beautiful garden boxes. The dirt level is at my friend鈥檚 waistline; with four opening doors on either side, reaching plants is a whiz. In these trying times, folks are taking time to make significant improvements.
Even more beautiful, though, is the time we鈥檝e all found to communicate with each other. Pot-banging at 7 p.m. is now a daily ritual, enhanced by the called-out greetings to folks up and down this particular block of our street. Not only that, but friends and neighbours are voluntarily exchanging garden produce and home-baked goods with each other. (We are so fortunate to have two commercial bakers living across the street. No more needs to be said.)
The most blessed result of all the difficult circumstances of these past weeks and months, however, is the growing realization of how much we need each other and of how privileged we are to communicate in ways we never have before. While pots bang and voices ring out, it鈥檚 the warmth of our hearts and of actions expressing care for each other that symbolize tearing down unseen walls and building up even more solid relationships.
鈥淪o, let鈥檚 not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don鈥檛 give up, or quit 鈥�.鈥� Galatians 6:10
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