I'm Just Sayin'!

   "Community is like all the things around a tree-- they co-exist together!"

                                          “I’m Just Sayin’”

                                                                 by Alan P. Scaglione

Community—that since of belonging to a group, your neighbors, only tied by proximity and… pride of ownership!

I was taking in the first autumnal Saturday morning, after I had mowed my lawn, and I did something I don’t normally do…
I pulled a chair out of the house and sat in the front yard, just taking in the morning.
The air was slightly brisk, the breeze was blowing just right, the sun was up and smiling…
And I was just reminiscing about all the years of raising our kids in this house.
The neighbor beside me was also doing his lawn, so he had all of his lawn equipment going.
The neighbor across from me was having a yard sale—
Yes, the kind where they put things on their lawn that should probably make its way to the garbage can…
And definitely will… IF no one buys it today!
You see… I live in a neighborhood where we do our own yard work and sell our own junk!
The lady neighbor had something playing that I loved…. She had her radio high enough for all the neighbors to hear.
And we were all singing the song, in our yards, in our community!
I know, I know… some of you are going to say, “But what if it’s NOT music I like to hear? Then it’s noise pollution!”
Whatever!!!
It was just a nice sense of community.
Neighbors in their yard, greeting other neighbors, catching up on the topical subjects we all recite.
“Beautiful day!” “This weather feels GREAT!” “Can you believe it’s October already?”
Yeh…that type of topical stuff!
No talk of the election; no talk of anything that could divide or change the friendly climate.
Just neighbors—a community—out on their lawns, taking in all the joy of Autumn in Florida.
And you have to know… we wait for this moment! If it’s ten a.m. and we haven’t broken a sweat—it’s a good day!
As I sit in my lawn chair, one of the neighbors’ sons drives up to visit his parents.
I see Mitch… and he has his daughters, both of them, hanging on to their dad, and his wife coming in right after them.
And I immediately remember the day when…
Mitch was helping us change the spark plugs in my son’s first car, and I joked with him about someday getting married.
He retorted “Not me! I’m not the marrying kind! Me? With a couple of kids? That’s just not ever gonna happen!”
And I smiled.
As they got back in the car and started to drive off, he spotted me in my chair.
He slowed down and greeted me with a heartfelt smile!
I greeted him, his wife and his beautiful girls!
And I said, “I remember a boy who said he would never have kids—look at how happy you are now!”
He grinned ear to ear and laughed!
Life has a way of carrying on—from us to our children and then…to their children.
Another truck passed by. I greeted them, like any good neighbor would.
It went on.
About ten minutes later, the same truck stopped in front of my yard and the driver got out!
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
Of course I remembered my son’s Basketball Coach from High School.
He said he saw me the first time and immediately remembered me… and had to circle back and say hello.
He asked about my son, my daughters.
I caught him up on each of them in under three minutes—funny how we can do that!
And he said, “We are just going through the neighborhood—trying to offer to do someone’s lawn FOR FREE—just to show an act of kindness!”
How honorable! How rare in this day and age—how impressive!
He handed me his card and said “If you know of anyone who needs anything or needs help with anything—I will come back and help!”
I thanked him and wished him well.
I looked down at the card, and it said he was “Pastor” of the church down the street.
This church is probably 1000 members—and its pastor is doing lawns for neighbors!
I smiled ear to ear-- Just made me glad that I was a part of my community!
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loveth is born of God and knoweth God;
He who loveth not, knoweth not God-- for God is Love!” I John 4:7-8
Guess true love can be as simple as…doing your neighbor’s lawn—for free!
Until Next Time
I’m Just Sayin’…
Brother “A”

SELECT the link BELOW!   SEND me Email!   Share your thoughts!

share your community story with Alan