Watching movies, playing games, and simply playing around
Most of my life I never knew my neighbors. I may have known who they were to an extent, but I never really knew them. Now I spend time with my neighbors almost daily. In fact, it's weird to go a day without seeing them.
We talk, eat, and simply enjoy each other's company. They have been there for me through difficult times when all I could do was cry, and in return I was there to chase them through the parking lot with a dead rat. Jack will always tell me when I have gained weight (believe it or not this is actually not offensive in Thai culture), and when I contort my face to make it look like I'm going to cry, Man is always there to tell me that I'm not fat. Man will tell me that I'm a bad American for not keeping up on politics, and I will tell him that he's a crazy Thai for waking up in the morning to watch a debate that he can't understand (he's a huge Obama fan). Thats kind of how it goes. We have fun together.
During the days preceding Moon and Rish's wedding I didn't have any time to sit down with my neighbors. And for a couple days following the wedding I was so busy recouping that I didn't have the energy to do anything beyond buying bread and eggs down the street, so I still wasn't sitting down with them.
Anyways, it has been great to catch up with them. Actually we don't really catch up. We just pick up where we left off. As the teasing, games, and pranks begin I can tell that things are getting back to normal again. And for that I am grateful. Last week (I think it was last week, but maybe not) we played checkers on a piece of styrofoam with corks, and tonight we played badminton in the parking lot using the parking-blocks in place of a net. It is such a joy to spend time with them, and honestly I beat myself up when I don't. As busy as things may get at times, I never want to de-prioritize my friends and neighbors. It's really easy to do that. It's really easy to get busy and pass by the people closest to us on a quest to help someone else that seems to be in greater need; someone further away from home.
I am reminded daily of both the words of my Christ and the words of Miss Amy Lancaster whom I met in Africa.
Jesus said in Mark, "The greatest commandment is this: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. There are no greater commandments than these."
And Miss Amy challenged us in Africa when she asked the question, "Do you even know your neighbors?"
So now I challenge you as I have been challenged and am continually challenged. Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you even know the person next door to you? Are you loving them as you should?
I think these are good questions to both ask ourselves and seek to apply. After all, "there are no greater commandments than these."
We talk, eat, and simply enjoy each other's company. They have been there for me through difficult times when all I could do was cry, and in return I was there to chase them through the parking lot with a dead rat. Jack will always tell me when I have gained weight (believe it or not this is actually not offensive in Thai culture), and when I contort my face to make it look like I'm going to cry, Man is always there to tell me that I'm not fat. Man will tell me that I'm a bad American for not keeping up on politics, and I will tell him that he's a crazy Thai for waking up in the morning to watch a debate that he can't understand (he's a huge Obama fan). Thats kind of how it goes. We have fun together.
During the days preceding Moon and Rish's wedding I didn't have any time to sit down with my neighbors. And for a couple days following the wedding I was so busy recouping that I didn't have the energy to do anything beyond buying bread and eggs down the street, so I still wasn't sitting down with them.
Anyways, it has been great to catch up with them. Actually we don't really catch up. We just pick up where we left off. As the teasing, games, and pranks begin I can tell that things are getting back to normal again. And for that I am grateful. Last week (I think it was last week, but maybe not) we played checkers on a piece of styrofoam with corks, and tonight we played badminton in the parking lot using the parking-blocks in place of a net. It is such a joy to spend time with them, and honestly I beat myself up when I don't. As busy as things may get at times, I never want to de-prioritize my friends and neighbors. It's really easy to do that. It's really easy to get busy and pass by the people closest to us on a quest to help someone else that seems to be in greater need; someone further away from home.
I am reminded daily of both the words of my Christ and the words of Miss Amy Lancaster whom I met in Africa.
Jesus said in Mark, "The greatest commandment is this: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. There are no greater commandments than these."
And Miss Amy challenged us in Africa when she asked the question, "Do you even know your neighbors?"
So now I challenge you as I have been challenged and am continually challenged. Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you even know the person next door to you? Are you loving them as you should?
I think these are good questions to both ask ourselves and seek to apply. After all, "there are no greater commandments than these."
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