Neighborly Love

I have never experienced such neighborly love in all my life. Though I can't say much for the first 22 years of my life having lived in the country away from people and neighbors.

After getting married, I lived in Waipahu, Hawaii. Our neighbors were friendly and helped us move something heavy to the dumpster. They were a local family, not related with the military.

In Santa Rosa, California, our neighbors kept to themselves...I didn't expect much else...

However, here in military housing in Kodiak, Alaska, I have never believed such compassion ever existed with neighbors. People here will go out of their way to help someone out. There are so many little examples I can think of. Though the drama and nosiness is pretty high if you're not careful, the compassion is strong still. For example, last Thanksgiving several wives got together and made EXTRA food to give to the single guys living in the barracks. Every time of the boats leaves port, some of the wives bake a bunch of cookies to send along with them. If there's a family in need of some extra help...however little the help is needed such as a wife who just had a baby and the husband is underway and all she needs is some help cooking, some wives will make some dinners and freeze them and take them to the family to use when needed. Those are just some of the neighborly deeds happening all the time on the island.

As for my personal experiences, I already wrote one of them here about when my fridge went out and all the food spoiled while on vacation. My neighbor on one side of us took care of the mess, cleaning out the fridge and the floor and having a new one put in...she also mowed our grass while we were gone.

Over Easter, I was perfectly content making a small dinner for Jeremy and I as that is what we have done during the time we've been married. If we're away from family, it's just us. However, for Easter, we were invited to a friend's house. It's such a small thing, but it felt so big. It felt like Thanksgiving. Warm and quiet, surrounded by friends and eating good food.

Now that the 4th of July is here, Jeremy is gone in California temporarily. I'm content in my own mind...I have Delilah as my company. I didn't feel the need to do anything big for the day. I did, however, invite a friend over and planned out a small little BBQ just her and I. I didn't think much of anything bigger than that. Now...I got called up by the same friends we shared Easter with and invited to share the 4th with, too. I respectfully declined because I already have company. (Side note: a few days ago I was invited to dinner by my neighbor - the one who helped with the fridge) Then this evening, my neighbors on the other side came over to invite me to the BBQ they are having. I respectfully declined with the same (valid) excuse that I have a friend coming over...but they still said we could both come over - that there'd be plenty of food if we wanted to. It's amazing how neighborly everyone is here. I feel the urge to bake cookies for people moving in 3 houses down, but I fear I may appear stalkerish. Haha. 2 houses down is fine but 3 is pushing it. It must be in the water, though. I'm a keep-to-self kind of gal, but being here is opening up new experiences. I'm feeling senses of compassion and warmth that I thought I could only feel from family and close friends I grew up with.