Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Another Goodbye

Day by day, do any of us have any clue to how we are affecting the people around us - even those who don't interact with us one on one?

We've lived at our current address for ten years. From the time we moved in, I knew how lucky we were to have such wonderful neighbors. Our road is full of younger families and many kids grouped around the same ages. And right across the road was the dear couple we purchased our home from. Older, we viewed them as the road grandparents. We would wave at each other, stop to chat when we could, and watch out for each other. George was always busy taking care of his yard, his garden, or just enjoying the view. He offered yard care advice to me through the years and helped me several times in tackling things too large for me to handle alone.

I noticed recently that George's truck wasn't moving at all. This couple isn't a sedimentary couple, so this stood out to me. During the cold months, he usually drove, either their car or their truck, but I'd been missing seeing him. I'm not one to pry into the affairs of others, so I didn't ask, I just kept an eye out, hoping to see him wave again one day. Yesterday, we discovered he passed on after a stay in the hospital. Silly as it may sound my oldest daughter stood still when I told her and then said "who's going to tell my dog to be quiet?" Yes, George helped out more than we realized. He was a part of our lives even from across the road. We're really going to miss him.

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