A Surprise Thank-You

With few exceptions, we’ve been blessed with neighbors who rank anywhere from slightly south of OK to wonderful. So when the elderly widow who lived next-door died five or six years ago, I spent weeks dreading the outcome. This one was particularly grueling because the two properties are so close – unlike the other side where we have a lot between the houses. I needn’t have worried.

The house was purchased by the late Mrs. F’s nephew and his wife, a couple a year or so older than the mother, and as it turned out, people who knew a lot of the some people. They’re good folks really, R and D are. R has mowed my lawn. I’ve mowed theirs. We’ve borrowed tools back and forth, traded rides when vehicles were down, etc. Just generally good neighbors.

R’s health hasn’t been so good lately, so that’s a concern, but he’s still going as strong as he can. They travel occasionally and they recently made what D characterized as their “last trip” out to California. (R gets too uncomfortable traveling for very long these days.) While they’re gone, we get their mail and newspapers, watch over things, and depending on the season, might water their plants.

When R. came to claim their mail the other night, he came with a surprise thank-you: two very pretty hand-strung glass bead rosaries. (Apparently, R and D had slipped into Mexico during their west coast adventures and they bought these there for us.) It was a nice gesture and nice to be thought of.
I don’t remember the last time I said the rosary, being at best, a half-assed Catholic. (I have many issues with the church specifically and with organized religion in general. And so as not to be a hypocrite, I’m not a regular at services. But I digress.)


R's timing may be spot-on. I do pray. Given the state of things today, I may have to break these in. I don't think it could hurt.