It seems that one of our neighbors, actually a couple, has decided to "adopt" us as their "needy family" this Christmas. I was out working in the yard a couple of months ago, and the husband "Joe" was out for his daily walk and decided to stop and chat.
From the beginning let me say that we have lived 4 houses apart for 12 years and have actually spoken MAYBE 3 times. Somehow he directed the conversation to why I don't work. Thinking back I think he asked if I was retired.
So I went through the whole story about how I lost my job due to the accident at what has to be the worst case of timing in the history of the world.
I told him that I was collecting unemployment and my wife works and so does my son so we were getting by ok and that sooner or later I would get a job. So he went on his way and I thought that was the end of it until one night while sitting down to dinner there was a knock at the door. It was Joe the neighbor with a whole list of job listings that another neighbor had compiled for him in case he wanted to pick up some part time work. He is retired.
These were all off of our state employment website and I get them emailed to me every morning and apply to any where my employment is a possibility. So just to be kind and get back to my dinner I thanked him and sent him on his way. This list has appeared in my mailbox a couple of times since.
Two days ago my wife see's someone out in the driveway and asked if I knew who it was. I looked just as she was leaving and said that it was Joe's wife with a puzzled look on my face. My wife says she was up by the garage and carrying something. So she goes out to look and says "you aren't going to believe this" there was a box full of food and a ham in a bag.
At this point I felt the need to write them a letter and stick it in a Christmas card Explaining that in the current local economic situation I am rich compared to a lot of people I run across in my daily life and that there are much more deserving and dire circumstances than ours that would welcome their generosity and that I would give the food they so generously gave to us to someone who is actually in need of it.
It has now reached the point where I somewhat feel uncomfortable in my own house constantly on the lookout for these people to show up yet again. The letter I wrote should arrive today.
Somehow I don't think this is over.
