I live down a quiet dirt road. I like it that way. We can’t see anyone’s house from our house and we can run around naked in our yard if we want…that may have even happened a time or two! I could never handle living in town and having neighbor kids running in and out of our yard and house, those shenanigans would drive me crazy and I think you Mom’s who live that life are actual saints! We love our quiet solitude and the only place I’d trade it for would probably be the beach. But even though I don’t want my home to be a revolving door…there is almost nothing I love more than a laid back, dirt road friend, and a cup of coffee. There is something about a simple…”hey, the coffee’s on!” text that makes my idyllic heart sing! I love drinking coffee with friends while the kids are in their dirty play clothes and I’m in my “house yoga pants” (I know we all have those)! I am so fortunate to have a few neighbors that I have that relationship with and it truly has added a cherry on the top of this ice cream sundae of a life that I’m know I am blessed with!
Last week, we had just returned from Arkansas. Ryan was gone on a work trip, the kids were busy playing, and I jumped on the mower as soon as we got home so I could beat the rain that was coming the next day! Just as I was finishing up, I got one of those rare, but wonderful texts and it was exactly what my heart needed at that moment. My friend didn’t really think I’d want to join since we had just got home…but what she didn’t know was that we needed a distraction from a house that was void of Daddy and that her invitation was just the elixir! We jumped in the car and headed down the road! The thrill of a last minute plan is always pure ecstasy for my kids!
We sat in the peaceful, green, perfection that a Missouri spring brings. We sipped coffee and listened to the squeals of our children as they slipped and slid. The sparkles of water catching sunlight and creating rainbows that reflected more than the sun…but also the bliss of souls that had found just what they needed that evening.
I met a new neighbor that night, as well…and could tell instantly that she was good people when my son started chatting with her like she was an old friend. We took a walk through their fields and just soaked in the last bit of sun before it quietly laid itself down to sleep.
And during those moments the baby made a new friend with his next door neighbor lady. A connection she’d been working for and somehow he knew that tonight was a night of friendship, and sharing, and letting people in.
We went home that night feeling refreshed and thankful and one friend richer! I am thankful for those times that God just seems to place the perfect moments right in our longing hearts. And while my door may not always be open, I hope I open it enough to be a catalyst for those kinds of moments in someone else’s heart.
