Block Party

We have lived in this house for almost nine years. While we know a few neighbors (like our immediate ones and the two at the end who belong to our church) pretty well, we didn't really know the others in our 18 house cul-de-sac. So when my ever ambitious neighbor across the street wanted to have a block party for "National Night Out" I was enthusiastic. I always want to meet people, but I am crippled by fear. Fear that if I talk to them, they will be thinking "Who is this person, and why on earth is she bugging me?" So I don't say anything. Pretty cowardly, huh!

I hoped others would attend, but it was even better than I could have hoped. 16 of our 18 houses attended and we all shared a potluck dinner and visited for 3 hours. Kids bounced on a moonwalk one neighbor rented, had a water balloon toss that we provided balloons for, and loved visiting with the firefighters who stopped by (complete with truck and gear - our neighbor is a volunteer firefighter). We have the nicest neighbors! Everyone was very hospitable, and agreed that we should all do these things more often.

One thing that struck me is that it wasn't just those with small kids wanting to know the neighbors. It was also the families with teens. It was the three couples whose kids are all grown. It was the elderly lady who we all found out was recently widowed. It was even two young couples who don't even have children yet. We all need community. We can all be there to help one another. Too often we all get absorbed in our own busy lives. One man summed it up best by telling me "It is just too easy any more to pull right into the garage and enter the house without saying a word to anyone. We need to change that - we need other people."

I couldn't agree more!