Our Neighbor

We have the best neighbor. 


I had no idea how wonderful it could be to have a great neighbor. And this neighbor is a gift and an answer to prayer - literally (thanks, Kel!). After we had been in our house for three days, there was a quiet knock at the door. I answered it to find a sweet little girl and her mom holding a plate of cookies for us: "We baked these for you and just wanted to come say 'hi'!" And, lo a behold, this sweet little girl just happened to be three years old. A few weeks passed and we saw them outside and talked about getting together to play. And so it began...


Play Dates. Evenings in the cul-de-sac. Laughing. Shared stories. Conversation with an adult! A shared meal. Babysitting (as in swapping hours!!!) More laughing. Hugs. Squeals of delight. Music to my ears.


Pure joy.


It is such a sweet thing to see your child love a friend. To hear them laugh and yell and to see them run, tumble, giggle, ride, draw, wrestle, roll, hug... to be a friend. 


My heart was starting to ache for my J-man. For his little friends so far away. I so badly wanted to hear that sweet laughter of friendship.


And in moments of forgetting that we're going to be ok, that we will find a place here, and that God is going to see us through, the doorbell rings again... and there she is. Three years old and beaming: "Can J come out to play?"


And again, He sustains. 


"Yes, sweet one. We can all come out to play. A thousand times, yes."