Tuesday, September 27, 2011

National Good Neighbor Day

By Diane Forrest,


It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beautywood,
A neighborly day for a beauty,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So let's make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we're together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please,
Won't you please,
Please won't you be my neighbor?

Mr. Rogers

That's right boys and girls, its National Good Neighbor day.  I was researching for this article and came across an Old Dutch Proverb that says "A good neighbor is better than a distant friend". 

Having a good neighbor is a wonderful and fortunate thing.  As a frequent watcher of Judge Judy, I have seen many neighbors go to court over various claims.  Things such as dog bites, property damage, someone even cut down their neighbor's tree.

Since there isn't a lot written on this matter, I would like to tell you about my neighbor.  He is a fine gentleman at the young age of 85.  He is a widower and is like the neighborhood watcher. 

He keeps an eye on other's homes, collects their mail and papers when they are out of town, and when he's not watching the neighborhood, he walks 5 or more miles a day, with his bag and garbage stick, and picks up the trash he sees along the road. 

When my husband became bedridden he would pick up my paper and throw it up to the porch, and bring up my trash cans on trash day.   When my yard was destroyed after my sewage line collapsed, he dug up some sections of grass from his yard...and placed them in mine so it would take root and grow.  He does things daily, but never makes a show out of it, and asks for nothing in return.

He was sick earlier in the year; I know this because my paper wasn't on my porch as usual.  I would drop by and check on him, bring him meals and cook the occasional banana bread or cookies until he was up and at it again.  Personally I think it was an incentive to get well just to keep me from cooking for him!

It is always comforting to know that when you are away from home someone is there to watch over your home to make sure things are safe from disasters.

So today, on good neighbor day, take a few minutes and visit a neighbor, see if they need assistance with anything, or take some cookies.  It's not hard to be a good neighbor, and very rewarding when you have a good neighbor.



Interesting insight:
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001) that featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh area shows dedicated to youth. The Public Broadcasting System developed his own nationally aired show in 1968 and over the course of three decades on television, he became an indelible American icon of children's entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. He testified to the U.S. Supreme Court on time shifting; and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children's television.

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