Picture This

Having a good neighbor is truly a gift and we are fortunate to have many of them. Living around pleasant people makes one's home the place where you long to be, a little oasis of calm and serenity in an otherwise hectic world. One of our neighbors has been particularly great. She waters our plants and takes in our mail when we're out of town. Her older children are particularly gracious to play with our eager toddler. We share cups of sugar, leftover cake and turkey around the holidays.

When her oldest son, his wife and twin girls returned from Texas, they lived with her for a couple of months until they could find a place to rent nearby. They recently found a house, but they hardly have anything to furnish it with. I've put out feelers to many of my friends who have been generous to donate lamps, pillows, blankets, dishes and towels to help them. I wanted to contribute something to their new home too, so tonight I uncovered a really cool picture frame and a framed Derby Festival print in one of our closets to help decorate their new place. This unexpected gift caught them off guard as they don't seek or like to accept "hand outs," but they were quite grateful.

- Leigh White