It’s a beautiful day in my neighborhood
posted on September 12th, 2011 / by Marsia Van Wormer / 19 CommentsWe have lived in our current home for the past three and a half years and we love it. Our neighborhood is full of houses with a minimum of two trees, but not to exceed three. Our local area has six pools that we can access freely between the hours of 10 am and 9 pm, but not on Tuesdays when they are being chemically treated. Our street is full of wonderful families raising children, walking dogs, and living the American dream.
I think.
I’m sure about all of the rules that our neighborhood community has set up, and I’m fairly sure of all the benefits associated with living in our neighborhood community; but the one thing that I’m a little less sure about is the people that actually make up the community we live in?! The reason this is so astonishing to me is because I am a true lover of people. I mean, when I say I love people, I really do mean it; it’s not just some cliché term I use politely in conversation or in child-rearing.
So I was very surprised one Friday morning when I was walking my kids to school with three other moms that I know on the street when a woman with a baby joined our group and started walking with us. I was suddenly very aware that I was the only person who didn’t know her, and I was determined to meet this new neighbor and make her feel very welcome quickly. I introduced myself, and explained that I only walked my kids on Fridays, and so I must’ve missed getting to meet her when she moved in. I smiled at her beautiful baby, asked her name, and when she had moved in. I was literally stunned when she told me her name was Ashton (love her name) and that she has lived … six houses down from mine … for seven years?!?! I didn’t know ANYONE had lived on our street for seven years!!!
I was speechless. Stunned. Completely and totally unworthy of claiming to be a lover of all people! Gasp. Immediately I turned to my faithful friend that I have known from day one in our house and said, “How can this be? What kind of neighborhood are we that I don’t know my neighbor six doors down?!?!” I wasn’t really expecting an answer from her, as this was not her problem. She knew Ashton, and I’m not sure that she has as outwardly confessed that she’s a lover of people like me; she’s a little more shy and reserved. I love her. I loved her even more when she did answer with a simple, “Maybe we should have a block party and get to know more people we don’t know.” That was it! Throw a big party and invite all of our neighbors to come out and meet–build a real community!
When I started thinking about the lack of community on our street, I began looking up definitions, knowing that I had a general meaning in my mind, but was nowhere close to the definition for community as defined in the Science Dictionary. It reads like this:
Community:
A group of organisms or populations living and interacting with one another in a particular environment. The organisms in a community affect each other’s abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation.
I knew it! The community that we had chosen to live in was supposed to affect each other’s abundance and adaptation! I had failed miserably in my assigned role as a member, but was committed to righting this wrong. We followed through with our block party by passing out flyers, designating a house in the middle of the street as the “party place”, and assigning different dishes for each family to bring. All we could do was hope that the “strangers” on our street would respond and that we would not be left with over 50 hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixin’s (that’s the Texas community in me)!
The day of the big neighborhood community event was the weekend immediately after the last day of school, and it was hot as fire outside! Fifteen minutes before the event was to begin I started carrying all of my assigned things to the designated party house. There was not a soul in sight. Our whole family carried chairs, a cooler, a tent, our portable radio and a huge cookie cake for everyone on the street to devour. But I was admittedly nervous–would people respond? Would “strangers” who had never met us agree to spend a hot summer evening with us? I had this inner ache for other people to admit to wanting community and being lovers of people as much as me, but I was also prepared to admit that our street was just a street, and NOT a community designed to affect each other’s abundance and adaptation. And then, at exactly 6:01 p.m. doors started opening, and hesitant people from houses all around started walking to the designated party house. It was unbelievable to me–but yet so believable!
From every direction people walked to the party house with their chairs, their tents, their assigned salads and desserts. The grill couldn’t cook burgers and hot dogs fast enough for all of the families that were joining our “1st annual summer bash” (of course it has a name; I’m a marketer)! Boys played football in the street. Little girls did face painting, temporary tattoos, and wrote with chalk on the sidewalks. It was like a dream come true for me. I met so many amazing and wonderful people, and was even more surprised that some of them went to our church – who knew?!
The party lasted well into the night, and then it was time to say goodbye to all of our new friends and begin to clean up. Together, everyone, like a community, started doing their part to leave the “party house” lawn in perfect condition. As we were heading back to our house, I heard someone say, “Hey – let’s not wait so long the next time? How about twice a year?” I laughed – my heart was so full.
Since that night, we have had a tornado so close that everyone in our “community” was outside watching it, and a power outage on our street that lasted over 2 hours, that also had everyone outside with chairs and glow sticks for all the kids. It has been an amazing thing to actually “pursue” community, and I highly recommend it for anyone who lives in a house. On a street. With people around you that are placed there to affect your abundance and adaptation. It’s how we were created – for community, and everyone desires and needs it in one form or another. So go ahead, make a flyer, pick a house, pull out your chairs – and just watch the definition of community come to life on your street!
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV)
I LOVE you and I love this idea. Years ago, our street got together and rolled our grills down to the “party house”. We cooked for hours as people wandered down. It was so much fun and really did a lot to build a sense of community within us. Your article made me want to do it again, since the weather is nice! Why else do they put wheels on grills???
I love that verse and I know just what you mean about community. We are so busy that's it's easy for us to retreat into our homes like turtles in their shells. Coffee on Monday morning after the kids get to school has been a fun thing for the ladies on my block.
Love it! We are in our neighborhoods and our cities for the glory of God:
Acts 17:26-27a And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.
I wish you were my neighbor. You're so fun. I love that you look beyond your walls and see the people and their hearts and that your heart was truly saddened that you didn't know someone in your neighborhood. And I LOVE even more that your heart was not just sad but that you were moved to action! I love some Jesus action! Thanks for reminding me to do the same over here in my hood. Love!
Marsia, I love this! We've been a part of great neighborhoods before, but I don't know if we affected anyone's abundance & adaptation. Makes me want to plan something right away! Love this.
Loved this! Brought back memories of when our kids were little. Such a wonderful blessing…and outreach for you! God led you to just the right place. He has a way of doing that.
I couldn’t agree more that you are “all about people” it doesn’t take one minute of knowing you to feel that!! You are such a precious lady!! I have tossed the idea of a block party here too but have been hesitant for the sake of being disappointed… But this may be just the encouragement I need!! Love ya!!!
I love this too! I have been so blessed to live in a neighborhood like that for the last 6 years and have gotten to do life with the other "Gloriosa Girls" as we have dubbed ourselves. It has added so much to our lives
I organized a block party when we lived on Pryor Ct. It was wonderful wonderful wonderful!! I also created a neighborhood contact list, for emergencies only…like if something was going on at a neighbor's house when they weren't home that they needed to know about. It was one of my favorite memories of living on that street….we all stayed out til the wee hours, just visiting. I miss that!
I miss you, Thanks for reminding me that.Having a newborn should not stop me from reaching out to my hood.
Love this, M. Our street used to have more community, and we have drifted from that. So now you've inspired me…I love it that you are a firecracker catalyst in so many ways!
i love you friend-wish we lived REALLY in the same hood! xoxoox
Gayle- when I was home with my kids i would've LOVED coffee on Monday mornings!?! so thankful that women like you are love in motion! xooxxo m
i wish you were my neighbor too-because there are so many kids around here-your 150 would only help even out the teams! xoxoxo m
sarah-especially since you are in a NEW place-all the more reason to throw a party and meet your community of adapters and world changers! have fun xoxoxo m
Laura-He sure does! I love the timing of His ideas-they are always perfectly executed when we follow directions! xoxooxxo m
OH my goodness Ashley-do it!! You will win them all over in a heartbeat!! Thank you friend-I love my people that are all about people too-makes me smile! xooxxo m
Reminded me of the days I used to be the organizer, getting the neighborhood together for a Saturday brunch or picnic. I've loved meeting new neighbors by taking something when they moved in. I've moved many times and have enjoyed meeting many people. Along the way, there did not seem to be many "real" friendships develop in neighborhoods and I allowed myself to become apathetic. We have had a neighborhood picnic where we are living now, and we have not seemed to fit in. Age differences in kids are great, interests are different, everyone's busy. There are a couple of ladies I know I could reach out to though. Thanks for the encouragement, reminding me it's not about me, but that I can impact "another’s abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation."
Marsia- I love that you love people and are willing to put yourself out there and see what happens! You've encouraged me to be more intentional- because we moved into a brand new neighborhood almost a year ago- so we're all new here. We've talked about wanting to do a block party, but never have. I suppose I need to take some initiative here! =) good stuff!!