Who Makes Your Community Brighter?

There were lots of things I expected when we moved homes earlier this year.

I expected to love the bathroom tile we had chosen, I expected to relish our big kitchen, I expected to appreciate having an art studio that wasn’t in a darkened basement next to tubs of seasonal clothes. 😂

One thing I didn’t expect was that we’d be moving into The Best Neighborhood Ever ™️

I didn’t know how many people would regularly be out on walks, all the friendly faces who would introduce themselves and their dogs.

Our neighbor across the street has five children. Upon meeting her, she immediately told me that the boys and I were welcome to come use their play equipment at any time, whether they’re home or not.

Another neighbor brought us homemade raspberry jam earlier this summer, and said that we were welcome to pick berries from her bushes. (Everett practically wiped them clean and now I’m wondering whether she regrets that generous offer. 😬)

Our other next door neighbor just took in our mail when we were out of town on a quick family getaway. When she dropped the mail off, she also tucked in extra children’s books for both boys since she knew a number of our were destroyed by the recent flooding. 🥲

Our neighbor John has also been a consistent source of help and generosity.

The other day I got a text from him with a couple photos:

The timing could not have been more perfect. Everett is in a major car and truck phase, and he tries to ride every toy truck he can get his hands on… Even if they are very small and definitely NOT meant to carry a toddler. 😅

I was solo with the boys that day, so I took John up on his offer to bring them to our doorstep.

Within minutes, new-to-us toys were waiting at our front door.

Everett was thrilled beyond belief. All day long, he kept parroting, “John! New toys!”

We just wrote him a thank you note and fortunately, I had the perfect one in my stash from the My Firefly Kit:

When Leah illustrated this amazing card, she told me that it was inspired by the goodness that comes from being surrounded by a vibrant and diverse community.

I can’t think of a more appropriate card to give to a wonderful neighbor.

Our lives are enriched by these small, meaningful interactions that touch our days. And that deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged in the form of a handwritten note.

Is there someone in your neighborhood who would be tickled by a thoughtful card in their mailbox?

Or perhaps there is someone else in your community who comes to mind when you look at this card… A librarian who is consistently friendly and helpful, a particular cashier at Trader Joe’s who makes your day a little brighter as they scan your crackers and veggies.

In a culture that can often feel lonely and individualistic, I believe that a small act of handwritten generosity and acknowledgment can make inroads to mending our social fabric.

The magic of writing a card like this is that you *aren’t* intimately close with the person… A card like this is so unexpected and will give you extra pep in your step along with being a lift to the recipient.

Who comes to mind when you think of this prompt? Who is in your community that you might write to this week? (Whether you use this card from your kit or grab a different card from your stash!). Write to them and then tell us about them in the comments!

May we all be good and thoughtful, neighbors, this week and always. 💛