My neighbor and I visited for quite a while today as we sat outside and soaked up some sunshine. It had been too long since we talked. She and her family went on a vacation last month for their wedding anniversary. Her husband has a difficult time getting around and she said it was a bittersweet excursion. It was sad for her to see her husband struggle so much. One day he asked if he had been on the boat ride the day before. She said he had been and that he had enjoyed it. At the same time, it was heart-warming to see her adult sons care for him with so much patience and empathy. I understood many of her caregiving worries and hardships. And I am glad that she wants to and is able to unload much of that stress when we get together. I caught her up on all my news as well. We talked about the blessing of being a grandmother and the different structures of family life. One of her sons is the stay at home dad, caring for his 4 sons ages 5 and under while his wife works in the home office. Another son and his wife have different, but overlapping work schedules, so one parent is always home with their children. Another son works and his wife is the one at home caring for the household and kids. Couples seem to make sacrifices and find ways to do the best they can for their families, and that doesn’t look the same for everyone. We talked about faith and trying to follow God’s direction for our lives. I am so grateful to have her as a neighbor. We always faithful and encouraging conversations when we make the time to get together.

I Found God today in encouraging conversation with my neighbor.