30 Days of Thanks - 11

Today, I am thankful for good neighbors and a great community for my kids to grow up.  Growing up, our neighbors were never very friendly, and we just never really had a 'community' mindset.  Sure, we ran around and played...but only because 3 of my aunts lived right around the corner from us, (yes, that's four families all related in one block!) and so cousins were also our neighborhood friends.  Now, don't get me wrong...I LOVED having that, and it was so great having family right there, and I wouldn't have wanted that part any different.  But it also sort of reinforced the closed little bubble we lived in, where we only really interacted, for the most part with family or church friends.  Our community never did things together, didn't, for the most part stand out and chat...and even if we saw each other out and about in town, there was almost a "pretend you don't see each other" thing that went on.  Very weird, now that I look back on it.  But, those Pennsylvania Dutchies are a tough crowd...and apparently especially in Boyertown...as I now see. 

It was kind of a hard thing to break out of my shell with, but now we have great neighbors who we are happy to see outside and chat with, have a get together, have our kids run around and play with, and I know that if I ever needed something, I can just give a call.  I don't mind Kate babysitting, or pet sitting, and it's nice to know people well enough for feel comfortable carpooling.  And even beyond our immediate neighborhood, the community of people that we have gotten to know through, mainly little league, and also school has been such that I definitely feel happy to be putting my roots down here, firm and deep.  I really, truly don't ever want to leave the area.  Call me a homebody, but there is a definite appeal to me to the idea of staying put and having a sense of 'ownership' of a community.  I've lived different places, and even when the kids were smaller and we homeschooled...things definitely felt more fluid and flexible.  Now I feel differently.  I'm thankful for where God has planted us...and I hope we stay here for a good long time....(well...GENERALLY speaking...I mean, if he wanted to bump us down the road a bit into a home with a bit more space, I'd be really good with that too...).  ;o)