“Why did we never think of this before?” That is the question we kept asking during this past week as we made and handed out invitations and then welcomed neighbors to our yard for an ice cream social on Saturday evening.
There are 16 houses on our block. Of those, we know two of the families fairly well. There are fives homes where we don’t know the people at all – could not even tell you what the people look like for sure (sad, isn’t it?). The others are all somewhere in between – a wave here, a little chat there.
So, we decided to seek a remedy. Jake had off this Saturday night from Outback, so we invited all of our neighbors to our house for an ice cream social, which we held on our driveway and front yard, leaving the back yard to the kids.
Some would say it was a poor turnout. Five families from the court showed up – and two of them were ones we had NEVER met before. Now that is SUCCESS in my book! We were able to sit and chat with them, finding out a bit of their histories, their jobs, etc. That was what we wanted – to meet some of the people we don’t know and to become a bit more of a community.
Bonus #1: One man who came is actually lives alone, but he brought his girlfriend and two of her children, who live a few blocks away. Turns out she used to homeschool her oldest son, and this coming year she plans to homeschool her two youngest children. AND, she is looking for a church. When I told her about our church, she said she had actually heard of it from a woman who used to attend our church. The woman has been telling her that she should check it out… which she did TODAY! It was fun to be able to talk church and homeschooling with her. I hope she keeps coming to church, but at the very least, I would love to connect with her on schooling.
Bonus #2: There is plenty of ice cream and toppings left-over!
Diann said,
June 25, 2012 at 4:00 pm
What a great idea, Kathy! Sounds like it may become an Alton Drive annual event. God’s definition of “success” so often look different than what we expect, huh?
Grandma Valentine said,
June 26, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Your gathering sounds like fun. I am glad you got to meet the two families you didn’t know. How wonderful to meet some of your neighbors, esp. the lady who came to church and desires to homeschool her children. It only takes one to make your social a success at least in God’s eyes. Keep trying and you will connect with your neighbors.