Day 216, August 4

Two nights ago, our kitty, Harley, accidentally got outside. (Harley has been declawed and is a strictly indoor cat.) My sister, my husband, and I spent the next couple of hours frantically searching for her. Finally, I enlisted the neighbors' help. Mind you, this was at 11 pm.

I asked our neighbor if I could borrow a flashlight. He readily loaned it to me, then started looking for her on his own. We finally found Harley tucked away in the corner of the basement of the addition we are building. Our hearts settled. I gave Harley a stern talking-to and said a special prayer of gratitude for her safe return.

The incident made me think of our neighbors. Larry and I are not great neighbors. Though we try to be considerate, we are rather private and not very out-going. Yet our neighbors have extended themselves on our behalf.

Our next door neighbor volunteers every year to clean out our gutters. He steadfastly refuses any kind of payment. Another neighbor always asks about our children, whom he has watched grow up over the years. The list goes on.

Neighborhoods are a kind of family. Neigihbors know when there is sickness in a family, when a new baby is born, when a death has occurred. Neighbors bring in mail when one is away from home, water lawns, and watch pets.

So, for today, I am grateful for neighbors and neighborhoods.