Day 15 - Unlikely Friend

Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far away. … Proverbs 27:10b NRSV

In my eyes, one of the greatest things about moving into Grandma Rose’s house was our neighbor, Sister Clara. It didn’t take her long to notice we’d moved in; and she came right over bearing gifts of cake and a hospitable spirit.

I was so glad to see her – I remembered her from her visits to Grandma – but mom was stand-offish.

Sister Clara had offered to keep an eye out for me since she knew mom worked long hours, but mom said that wouldn’t be necessary since I knew what to do when I was by myself.

After she’d left, I heard mumblings of “nosy old woman,” under mom’s breath.

Happily, Sister Clara was almost always out in her yard when I passed by on my way from school. She’d wave hello and a lot of times had some cookies wrapped up in a sandwich bag for me “to take home and have a snack.”

We would talk a little; but I was always conscious of the time. I didn’t want to get in trouble for not getting home when I should. Mom would call and check. If I didn’t answer the phone when she thought I should, I was in for big trouble.

And so, the slideshow of my life continued; showing many familiar scenes but this time I saw them from a different perspective. For instance, the countless times I passed by Sister Clara’s house; but now I noticed she was waiting on her porch for me even on days that had the worst weather.  I had never thought about that before.

I saw the many many invitations she extended to my mom – when she could get her to answer the phone – inviting us to church or over for dinner. She always said no, and after hanging up, Sister Clara would bow her head in prayer.

I also saw something I didn’t know – Sister Clara often dropped in the store where mom worked, buying things she didn’t really need – just to reach out to mom in the only way she knew.

I saw the day where I had discovered mom had thrown Grandma Rose’s bible in the trash and I rescued it, hiding in my own room where mom would never step her foot inside. I thought she was so unfeeling, but now I saw the pain in her eyes as she dumped the book in the trash can,

I saw myself growing up, feeling the conflicting emotions of racing toward adulthood; hating my mom, yet craving love and affection. I was getting closer to that fateful summer when everything changed forever.

We are on Day 15 of my serial, Angel on Assignment: The Book of Morgan. Is it just me or is it sad Morgan's only friend is an 80 year old woman?

What do YOU think? Can a neighbor like Sister Clara make not only an impact on a lonely little girl but even get through to Mom?

If you have missed any of the previous posts, click on the title, "Angel on Assignment" in the upper right hand corner in my side bar. It will take you to a page where you can find all links as they go live.This serial is not intended to be doctrine. Scripture does tell us angels come to warn, bring messages and sometimes watch over us. It also tells us we could possibly unknowingly entertain an angel. My serial is just me imagining how that might look in our present day and time.

Tomorrow's offering: Once in a Lifetime Experience

This post was written as part of the Write 31 Days challenge. A whole group of writers will be writing for 31 days straight on a variety of topics. Click here to check it out.

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I'm sharing this post at Anita's Inspire Me Monday.