"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Good Neighbors Matter !

 This is the view outside our trailer parked at our son's home in eastern Washington. His neighbors are a Mennonite family . When our son & his wife first moved into their home this farm next door was run down and sad. A severe winter storm a few years ago left so much freezing snow on this barn roof it collapsed. The previous family abandoned the farm and it seemed doomed to fall apart. It was definitely an eyesore.

Then a good thing happened, the farm was bought by Mennonites and their whole community seemed to come together to literally raise the roofs of not only the barns but the houses you cannot see in the pictures. Fences were repaired , out- buildings were made to house well kept farm equipment. Everything about this farm tells you this family cares about their farm, their family, their community, their animals, and God .
 I loved watching the sheep as I drank my morning coffee. ( This is the view from the window over the dining table.) You cannot see most of the lambs because the rich grass is so high and lush and they are still small. When the sheep grazed though you could spot the little lambs jumping , kind of looking like popcorn popping...jump, jump, boing boing boing ! So much fun to watch.
 I think this family has about 10 acres just in pasture ! (I am so jealous. ) The sheep would sometimes run from end to end as I watched them, and they'd be snatching big hunks of the grass in their mouths as they ran. If you know even a little about growing hay or keeping nutritious pastures, you know there is a lot of hard work invested in this lush patch of green, and all to feed a flock of sheep. This family also has hay fields, and they hay for many in the community.

I thought long about the kind of neighbors that consider their community and their neighbors in their daily lives. People who live honorably as they tend their homes knowing that being good neighbors DOES matter. People who really do sacrifice self-interest in order to do what is right. I do not know this family personally, but our son and the surrounding neighbors do, and the Mennonite family seem to practice what they preach , they have a good reputation for being hard workers, honest people . Their farm & flocks show this.
The back end of the pasture was just as lush as the rest of it. I think this has to be the most perfect life on earth a sheep can have. Endless green grass, well-kept strong fences protecting the sheep from the many predators lurking in the hills nearby ,shepherds that tend them as they ought. "The Lord is my shepherd , I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3

Good neighbors are a blessing, often rare , and do matter . A lot !

13 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a lovely post!

Good neighbors are rare and a blessing if you have them.

Have a nice Sunday and a great week ~ FlowerLady

A.K.W. said...

We had some good neighbors until they moved their farm away, they raise Khatadin sheep, they started out with Shetland sheep like us and got rid of them when we did and we started out with Nigerian Dwarf goats along with our Shetland sheep then we found out about Mini-Nubians, we got out of goats 3 years ago, almost 4 years ago, it will be 4 years in August. We just have a bunch of Muscovy male ducks, 2 dogs, and about 15 cats here now.

Amy

Anonymous said...

Such a blessing for this family to have purchased and refurbished this lovely patch of land/buildings. The views from your window are lovely and I can just imagine the popcorn in the fields!!!! lol That's a cute description of the little ones!
Wishing you a lovely Sunday. xo

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

The Mennonites do support each other whole heartedly and have been known to step in for barn raisings after a fire for other families of a community. There are various areas in Ontario known for Mennonites and they do have an admirable reputation as hard workers and good neighbours.
Your photo of the sheep in tall grass is a similar scene to the big sheep farm I like to drive past. It gives me great pleasure to see their herd spread out over the rolling hills bringing country living close to our subdivision.
Enjoy your Sunday, I need to get ready for church but decided to visit a few favourite blogs while sipping my coffee.

Debbie said...

Your kids are so blessed to have good neighbors. I would love to have coffee and watch those sheep. I had to laugh at that mental image...boing, boing..
I do see my neighbors 2 ducks out in a puddle by my drive caused by all the rain last night. But they only go quack....quack...
:D

Seawashed said...

I love this post. What beauty this family has brought to the land, neighborhood and community. Good neighbors really do matter! We have had enough bad neighbors to make us truly appreciate and be thankful for the good ones.

Thank you for visiting my Pearl blog and the lovely, kind words you left.

Connie said...

Those are beautiful views across those pastures. You are right--having good neighbors makes a big difference.

L. D. said...

The good neighbors make your own property more enjoyable. Washington is such a beautiful place. I visited it as a teenager when my brother was stationed there in the army at Tacoma. Would love to visit the state again. The sheep in the pasture is an amazing photo to see.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post Kathy! Well I knew nothing about Mennonites until I started blogging and became friends with my Canadian Girls. They have been such a blessing in my life and after collaborating on two cookbooks with those 9 Mennonite Girls I know about their great Christian ethics and about their love for their neighbors. They certainly have embraced me, their U.S. neighbor. We will be traveling to Eastern Washington on June 25th to spend the days leading up to our son's wedding on the 27th! You asked a question on my blog about Flag Day and the Marine flag on our pole. Our son-in-law is a Marine and served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Have a great week!

Deanna said...

June Blessings to all of you! Beautiful place to see. If it were possible to walk about there, I would. Relaxing. Being a good neighbor is something I need to work on!
d

Tea in the Library said...

Wishing you peace and God's continued blessings.

belinda said...

I love this post...
Neighbours...GOOD neighbours are a blessing....
We have one very special neighbour....who blesses us no end,...BUT NEEDS JESUS
We are blessed....
Your daughter is as well!!!

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Beautiful thoughts and photos. Adorable sheep. xoxo Su