Chapter 29 – Lilies and Chimes

God Knows Our Neighbors

Proverbs 14:21

“It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.”

Galatians 5:14

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

As the days drifted past we met a few more of our nearby neighbors. Although cautious, I continued my usual friendly greetings and tried to be hospitable. Almost always this was met by a kind of “deadness” and lack of response or, as I previously mentioned, strange outbursts and behaviors. However, we would discover over time that there would be a few that would show themselves to be of quite a different manner.

The very first neighbor I connected to was a rather full of life, feisty, mature lady next door who would occasionally engage in conversation with me after walking Kaiyah, or when I was working in the front area of our home. Our first interaction came with a warm hello and then she asked me about Kaiyah. I was more than happy to share a little of her story and things seemed to flow naturally. She was from Pennsylvania like much of my mom’s side of the family and had that same kind of candor. She had a great big laugh and seemed quite aware of things going on in the world and that the enemy of souls was accelerating his work.

She said they liked to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. Gardening was something we shared in common. I was grateful she shared encouragement and understanding along with some of her own testimony which had tough elements to it as well. She had been through a lot, both her and her husband, but they were holding on to the Lord and each other. It was refreshing to ever engage with either of them. She surprised me a few times after our sharing with a genuine family-in-Christ hug and we even exchanged homemade goodies. The ones they made were all so yummy. I had never had a homemade moon pie, they were the best ever! 

One time she invited me in her home and proudly showed me their marriage license on the wall and the Ten Commandments right near. She pointed out and mentioned a few beautiful things that her husband had done and also made for her including a special place to work her many Thomas Kincaid puzzles. An enjoyment of puzzles was something else we shared.

She will not know in this life how much those small meaningful moments meant to me during that difficult time; I always seemed to feel out of sorts then. She was a friendly bright spot and so was her husband. It was an awful tragedy that her life was suddenly taken after being accidentally hit by a vehicle while riding her bike not too far from home. She really enjoyed riding her bike and often encouraged me to do the same. She didn’t know that bike riding was a favorite pastime of mine and that I had been thinking about getting back to it. Her death was a terrible shock for me as she was the first real connection I had made since moving into our new home and I was looking forward to getting to know her better.

It was another grief and loss to process. Our hearts went out to her husband as we couldn’t fathom the impact that must have had on him. She mentioned, almost every time she and I spoke, of how much he meant to her and that she was so grateful for him. He’s a special neighbor and has been a blessing to us and we try to be to him too. It is good to comfort others with the comfort God has given and we shared those little moments when it was right. No platitudes, just gentle and from the heart.

For a long time Kaiyah and I passed by lovely pink and white Stargazer Oriental Tiger Lily bouquets set out as memorial flowers near the fatal crash site. They must have been her favorites. I didn’t know we shared an appreciation for those lovely fragrant flowers. It was a pretty reminder of her despite that unbelievable tragedy. Kaiyah and I often paused for a moment, even on the other side of the street, and prayed for her family and thought of her. It is good to remember and good to find something beautiful “flowering” out of something so ugly. It is like the soft tinkling sound of chimes still dancing in the wind after life’s storms. I needed to remember that myself. She definitely was part of what inspired the timing of our bike purchases to get us out riding in the wind again, staying aware of our surroundings and wearing a helmet (which she always wore), and to get our legs pumping. I look forward to the day I can tell her that too!

Even though Kaiyah didn’t join us on our bike rides she still had plenty of walks and hikes near and out and about. Some dogs do excellent with that kind of training and exercise, but Kaiyah had absolutely zero interest in such a thing! And she let me know by acting like a frantic fish on the line the one time I attempted to introduce the concept. It was safer for all of us that she stayed with her fur friends and waited for outings that had all feet on the ground at the same time with no strange wheelie things.

Whenever I see those particular lilies and hear the tinkle of chimes, I thank the Lord for the special neighbors who have shown us a thoughtful kind of realness while being a testimony to trusting God’s Sovereignty and Goodness, through their love for each other and carrying on through life’s many shadowy valleys.

…Until we meet again…