The Neighborhood
By Anne Goodrich On a Sunday morning in November the snow started falling in my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. With our close proximity to Lake Michigan, we are also the beneficiaries of lake effect snow, which occurs when arctic air forms over the Great Lakes, picking up heat and moisture and depositing a bonus amount of snow over our region. Within two days Lake Michigan graced us with a record-breaking total of 24 inches of the white powdery stuff. My 11-year-old son had gone out early that morning to shovel, but by nightfall there was no sign that any dent had ever been made in the snow. With my weak back, and my older daughter sick with a cold, I decided that any more snow removal efforts could wait until morning. We were just finishing dinner when my son Carman heard a noise outside and opened the door to investigate. There at the bottom of our steps, in the freezing cold, was our neighbor from across the street just finishing up from shoveling our driveway, sidewalk and porch. I was barely done with my profuse thank yous to this young father when another neighbor walked over and began shoveling snow out from behind my car. Its rare that I do any baking, but coincidentally this day I had just happened to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I quickly sent my son out with two bags full of cookies for my kindhearted neighbors. Later, while resting on my couch, I had time to reflect, and was filled with a strong feeling of nostalgia. I was musing about how years ago neighbors used to always watch out for each other, bring casseroles when someone was sick, and take turns watching each others children. And then I realized that those days arent gone. There are still people helping out their neighbors, like my Shoveling Angels did. However, sometimes now our neighbors and friends are those we have met on the Internet, and there is some wonderful, miraculous help being given via this online world. The neighborhoods may have changed, but peoples hearts have not. We have just created a neighborhood unrestricted by sidewalks and street signs. Our friends and neighbors live in all different parts of this country and the world, and they do what neighbors have always done. Our inboxes have become our backyard fence, and we share our lives and laughter with each other, send our prayers, offer encouragement, and provide a virtual shoulder to lean on when needed. Ive learned that love and friendship can come across a computer cable just as easily as across a shaded street. I am blessed and thankful for all my neighbors the ones who live next door to me, and the ones online who live next door in my heart. Anne Marie Goodrich is co-founder of MyLifeSeeds.com, a web site for women that provides business resources, restful and rejuvenating articles, stories, poetry, creative printables and more. Ms. Goodrich is a mother, graphic designer, and writer. For more information visit http://www.mylifeseeds.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Goodrich http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Neighborhood&id=247933 buy phentermine pills phentermine on line no prescription overnight pharmacy phentermine phentermine overnight without a prescription
