52 Weeks of Thankfulness: Week 14, Easter Blessings and Mowing Lawns

I love Easter weekend, the sense of rebirth, the opening of one’s heart, and our greatest blessing…

And yet, I believe my Easter weekends might be very different was it not for my neighbor Ms. S. For it was her gentle invitations to church that began our families journey towards Christ.

First, I should return to the day Ms. S. moved next door. We were, also, fairly new to the neighborhood, and I was lucky to be stationed in Georgia–my home state.  As I peeked at the group passing in and out of the home, I wasn’t really sure who might become our neighbor. Later, I learned this was Ms. S.’ family, helping her settle into the new home.

As the weeks went by, we noticed the grass beginning to reach knee-high, and we also noticed she did not come out very much. So it seemed impossible to ask if she might need help. I recall venting the situation to my supervisor, to which he replied:

“Sometimes people need help, but they won’t always admit it. Maybe you should just to mow her lawn.”

An unexpected response, really I expected none at all. But the idea sat heavily with me, and so I sent my husband to the task. Honestly, I did not realize how much that small gesture might mean to her. It meant a lot. And so the next few years brought more blessings than we could ever return to Ms. S.

On one particular occasion, it was during my husband’s deployment. I woke to the humming of a riding lawn mower and the scent of freshly cut grass. I bolted out the back door waving my arms, trying to stop her:

Ms. S, “I have someone coming to cut the grass! You don’t have to!”

Well, that was not effective: it’s not easy stopping a good Christian woman who is on a mission to give with all her heart. She smiled and her eyes twinkled of love and generosity, “Sharon you should know by now this is my blessing.”

These lessons from Ms. S and my former supervisor taught me we should never wait to ask others if they need help. Sometimes you simply have to give and expect nothing in return. For it really is the act of giving, which we become blessed.

I’m headed back home this summer and who knows…Ms. S may very well find me poking around in her flower bed, pulling weeds and trimming any shrubbery that needs taming. It’s been some time since I visited her, and it’s time I let her know what a tremendous blessing she has always been. While my home and heart grows strong in the in the desert, a part of my heart has always remained right next door to Ms. S.

As I continue my  “52 Weeks of Thankfulness” at Haddon’s Musings, I invite you to join this journey as we make our way around the world spreading seeds of positivity. Thank you to Bernadette for allowing me to participate on this journey.