By Suzanne Greive
I had an elderly neighbor that I wanted to befriend. Although every time I tried, he turned away. I would wave and he would walk away. I would say hello and he would not reply. Finally, after several years of this, I decided I was going to make him be my friend. I am also a hobby beekeeper so I took a jar of honey over and knocked on his door. He opened the door and lit up with a friendly smile. I found out that he couldn’t hear or see very well.
I learned a lesson that day – don’t judge a situation until you know all the facts.
I really liked when I visited because they reminded me of my own grandmother’s house. It had that same smell and feel. He had an enclosed porch like my gramma did and it was full of the same type of garden and yard tools and a freezer like hers was. Although after I made friends with him I came to realize that you need to take an “out” when you visit him. I would take my phone and ask my husband to call me after 15 minutes so I would have a way to back out and go home. He would keep right on talking even when I was on the phone or backing away. Who knows…he’s probably still talking now (…just kidding).
He and his wife met in the war when he was a soldier and she was a nurse. They were so cute together and had been married over 70 years. He would hurry out to the mailbox and back as fast as he could because he said “If I leave her alone for more than a few minutes she’ll find the liquor” which I found hilarious.
We ended up being friends until they both passed away.
I miss those neighbors. ]]>
