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TITLE: A Quiet Neighbourhood. By Gloria Pierre Dean 09/25/18 |
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At first, it was a quiet neighbourhood with the occasional sounds of traffic breaking the silence. Infrequently dog barking could be heard in the distance. 'We were so blessed!' I thought.
In our yard were tall palm, oak and mahogany trees. Birds sang beautiful songs in the tree branches, woodpeckers pecked and squirrels were often seen scampering about. It was almost idyllic. Long quiet walks along flat tree-lined roads were the norm.
When change came, it was slow.
First new houses were built on many empty lots, the roads were widened and there was news talk of the coming developments in our area. The promise of a community college failed but instead, four new schools were built, a VA hospital, retirement homes, a hospice and supermarkets were built within five miles of our quiet home.
Selfishly, what annoyed me the most was the loss of quiet.
Life changed irrevocably. I felt bombarded by new neighbours, more traffic noise and lots of round the clock barking dogs. Daily walks diminished because I felt less safe.
We lost touch with people we knew because they who moved away. So how did we cope? At first, I introduced myself to all the new neighbours and invited them to our local church, but after a while, I gave up. With the exception of one, no one came. Our small town now seemed like a city to me. What I found most challenging was living among strangers. I no longer felt that blanket of safety because I did not know anyone.
An unchanging factor is our local church. It is located less than one mile away and that is a stable element. Having shops nearby means less travel to do weekly food buying, so on the positive was the easier access to goods. A fabric store opened up and that is a Hallelujah! I love sewing. The gas station is two streets away!
Retirement homes and new schools provide jobs, opportunities for volunteering and new churches spring up too. So, despite the aggravation of heavy traffic, the new university twenty-five miles away holds promise for my twenty-year-old son.
So now, fifteen years later we are still here.
Local needs and ministries like the Mom@Tots home for pregnant teens, retirement home visit ministries and homeless shelters call to us. Our church holds a yearly yard sale; and what a way to meet new people and invite them to church? It also provides an opportunity to donate unsold items to the local Christian thrift store.
My conclusion is that what was and is an annoyance provides unique opportunities.
I am heartened to read that Jesus loved solitude and he often withdrew and spent time alone with his Father. I wonder how he felt about the demands of the crowds.
“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray..{Matthew 14:20}
“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God.{Luke 6:12}
The Word indicates that he loved to socialise on a small scale with close friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus. {Luke 10:38-39} “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary,..â€
However, he gave himself freely to the demanding clamouring crowds of sick and demonised who needed his touch. “People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed†{Matthew 14:34-36}...... Later he died for them.
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