Many of you may remember Mrs. Hildebrand from past posts. She is the butterfly that once upon a time was an ugly old caterpillar. Well, when she came out of the cocoon she came out with a flourish. Of course, as everyone should know by now, it was the young folks that helped her out of her shell.
Well, this morning she appeared at my front door with a host of neighbors. It was too early for company. In fact, it was 8:00. I didn’t really even open the door. I peaked out for the slight opening, refusing to remove the chain lock until I could see a familiar face — well, faces.
Neighbors are real gifts. Mrs. Hildebrand spearheaded the whole operation this morning. And, I have learned one thing from her. Sometimes, you just need to say, “thank you.” That’s a “grace” that Mrs. Hildebrand says I am lacking at times. Don’t get me wrong. I say “thank you” a lot. But, all too often I am told that I protest a compliment or help. Okay, so I’m working on it.
Today is a wonderful opportunity to say “thank you” to the entire neighborhood. First, they arrived with enough goodies — Cheese Danish, bear claws, etc., etc., etc. — They even brought coffee beans. So, I did open the door and invite them in. But, I was looking all around myself at the mess I had left behind when I went to bed last night.
Maggie must have noticed. “Don’t worry about those Christmas decorations.” She was staring at the boxes of lights and ornaments. We are here to decorate for you.
I did begin to protest. You know, there is just something about Christmas stuff that is personal. Besides, I had not made all the decorations. Each year we use real fir branches to make our decorations. It is a bit of work, but the wonderful aroma of fir makes the whole house smell good.
“We know how fussy you are, Maya. Don’t worry. We are going to help you make the decorations. In fact, we are all going to make decorations this year.”
I really had not planned on doing much this year. I’m still moving a little slow and really was not interested in doing much entertaining this year, either. So, here’s the bottom line. I sneaked back into the house to write this. But, all the neighbors are in the shop wiring boughs of fir and pine together to drape across the fireplaces. Two of the men have taken the apple ornaments —- we use real apples — and are hanging the decorations across the windows. Who would have guessed that Miss Bessie is an expert at making those beautiful big bows?
Well, I have to get back to the group. But, today I am so thankful for Mrs. Hildebrand and all the neighbors for bringing goodies and offering help. In fact, I am most thankful for the neighbors bringing a truckload of Christmas spirit and joy. I cannot help taking a deep breath and thinking if all neighbors were as thoughtful and caring as mine to be sure there would be peace on earth.
