Have you ever looked at your spouse and for a bright moment of a drab day and you saw something so amazing, unconditional, and generous, that you were reminded why you fell in love with them? Today, my husband reminded me why I loved him.
Yeah I know, most of the time, okay all of the time, I try and not write about my personal life regarding my family, but today I experienced something totally amazing. Worlds turn and perceptions change when I witnessed this complete and totally unconditional collaboration for the sake of someone in need.
The story starts with us driving by our neighbor’s house…
A neighbor who takes pride in his perfectly manicured lawn, conservatively painted house and methodically shaped oak tree. Routinely we would see him out mowing, raking, trimming, keeping his property prideful and perfect. But lately he has been amiss. No sounds of mowers or rakes dragging across the carpet of green. No voice calling to us as we shuffle out of our cars. A void we’ve noticed silently but never acknowledged.
He has been sick, too sick to work on his yard. Sick enough that a stratum of leaves from his tree and the neighbors have blanketed his yard in reds and browns. Leaves left long enough to cause you to pause and struggle to remember what the yard looked like before.
As we passed our neighbor’s house, I heard my husband’s voice, filled with conviction and determination, announce we had a plan for the next hour of our day. We were going to rake his yard and do it with the full intention of being grateful he was our neighbor, an attitude of gratitude.
So today, my family took one hour out of their day and reminded me the importance of giving back. I smiled proudly as our neighbor’s front yard transformed from a drabby brown to a glorious green. I watched my family work together to give our neighbor a pat on the back, a thank you for being who he was— a perfect neighbor. They never expected a thank you or anything back but the satisfaction of helping someone who needed help.
As my husband stuffed the last grimy pile of leaves in the over flowing green bin and our boys were collecting up the rakes, our neighbor came out from his house and was completely taken aback. He was so grateful, overwhelmed and most of all relieved. His yard has been upsetting him for a while and he was fretting about cleaning it up. The smile on his face spoke volumes.
I gotta tell you, I forgot the completeness that fills you when you give back. I mean when you truly give without expecting anything in return. I experienced a true connection with the unlimited power of giving back unconditionally.
It wasn’t only the rhythm of my family working together, and the rightness that swelled in my heart, but the uncompromising givingness that my husband demonstrated reminded me of why I fell in love with him in the first place.
An extraordinary moment in an otherwise ordinary day.
Thank you for reading my ramblings!
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