When we bought our house six years ago, I couldn't wait to meet to all of my neighbors. I was excited to learn their life stories and hoped to make some new friends. I took prayer walks around my neighborhood, praying for households and wondering who lived in them. Within a few months of moving in, we hosted a "Holiday Dessert" as an attempt to speed-up the process of getting to know everyone. Steve and I went door-to-door inviting all of our neighbors to join us for the dessert (and we got a lot of strange "what-are-you-trying-to-sell-me?" looks!). Much to my dismay, just ONE person showed up for the Dessert. My balloon of enthusiam was deflated that night and I quickly learned that getting to know people takes time...and common experiences.
About three years later, we got an amazing gift - a highly social, highly verbal, highly energetic toddler who loved to be outside - Jonah. And in no time flat, he had weaseled his way into the hearts of just about everyone on our street. When anyone walked by our door, he would yell out to them, "Hi, Kenny." "Hi, Suniti." "Hi, Zanaib." Soon, kids started swarming over to our house to play. This is a picture of Jonah at one-and-a-half, playing with some neighbors on our lawn.
Now, we spend nearly every night outside, talking to our neighbors as our kids play with one another. Some nights, we have up to 12 kids playing on our front lawn while we chat with 3 or 4 neighbors. It gives me great joy! Jonah has a best buddy across the street, Robbie, who he plays with just about every day. And I am fortunate to have developed some great friendships with the women on my street. These women and I are an unlikely bunch of friends. We are Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, and non-religious. We are from Pakastan, India, the Philippines, Mexico, Sacramento, and the Bay Area. On the outside, we seem vastly different. But as we spend time together and share our lives with one another, we learn that we are much the same. We are mothers who dearly love our kids; women who are trying to juggle work and home life; confidants who like to laugh and tell stories about our days. When I am with these women, I break down the stereotypes in my mind and I develop a deeper understanding of and appreciation for cultures that are different than my own.
Next post is about some recent fun we've had on our street....
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