The Boys Next Door

It's hard to believe it's been almost 15 years since I packed up my three teenagers Matt, Brad and Meghann, our big Dalmatian dog Ali and everything we owned and moved into the little house that's now home to me and Ollie the wiener dog. There are a ton of memories packed inside the walls of this house, and thankfully, most of them are good ones that cause me to smile when I remember them. It's quiet in my little house tonight ... except for the sound of Ollie snoring as he snoozes behind my back. But I remember a time when three extra wonderful and special teenagers laughed until they cried ... when they sang along to music so loud that it shook the windows ... when they danced and twirled until they made themselves dizzy ... when they baked cookies and made grilled cheese sandwiches and ate until they couldn't eat one more bite. They're the ones who made this house a home, you know ... those three crazy, goofy, funny kiddos of mine are the goobers who made this house a home.

While most of my neighbors are long-time residents of our neighborhood, the house directly next door to me is a rental property. I've lost count over the years of how many different families have lived there ... some I got to know well, and some I didn't know at all. Even though some of the families didn't live in the house for very long, I always wondered what their stories were ... where they came from, where they were going, what their lives were like away from the rental house. I feel bad that I didn't get to know them all, especially because my gut tells me that some of those families probably really needed to know that someone cared about them. I should have made them cookies ... I should have gotten to know them ... I should have slowed down and taken the time to be a friend to them. Why? Not only because they may have needed to know me, but because I may have needed to know them.

The family who currently lives in the house next door has been there for about a year or so, a young Hispanic family along with their beautiful brindle boxer pup. While I'd like to tell you that I'm the one who introduced myself to the family and welcomed them to our neighborhood, it was the dad of the family who introduced himself to me first. We've chatted from time to time when we've been out working in our yards or when Ollie and I head out for our evening walks. He's a hard-working young man who loves his wife and children more than life itself. I often see him tossing a football or playing soccer with his two sons while carrying his little girl on his hip. The little girl looks to be about two years old, and the boys are in their early teens ... he has two sons and a daughter ... just like me.

The two boys were shy when I first met them ... I'm pretty sure they haven't met a whole lot of gray-haired middle-aged gals in their short lives, so they were naturally a bit guarded in talking to me. They did, however, fall quickly in love with Ollie, and it wasn't long until they were waving and running over to pet my adorable little hound each time we headed down the street to go for a walk. It was fun for me to see the excitement in their eyes as they saw us approaching, and watching Ollie's tail wagging as fast as it could when he saw the boys always put a smile on my face. The boys are always polite and courteous to me ... always ... and they always ask if I've had a good day. Now remember, these two guys are young teenagers ... young teenagers with absolutely nothing to gain by being nice to the little old lady next door. And yet, every single time they see me, they always say one thing that lifts my spirits on even the darkest day.

"Hi, Terrie! It's so good to see you!"

One of these days, I'll tell the boys how much their greeting means to me, and I'll tell them how lucky I am that they are the boys next door. One of these days, I'll the boys how much better I think the world would be if we all felt that way about one another ... if we all could say, "It's so good to see you!" and really mean it. Think about it, friends ... really and truly think about the difference it could make to your families, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers ... think about how much it could mean to them to hear you say those words. Think about how much it could mean to you to say them from your heart ... think about it ... really and truly think about it.

"It's so good to see you ... it's so very, very, very good to see you."