Something Beautiful Has Been Lost.

This is something I have been mulling around in my brain for a while.

Our american culture has lost something beautiful. We have lost the ability to be community, to be neighbors, to be friends.

I come from a family that holds on to the old traditions a little more then other families. We are a farming family. We tend to be a little bit more slower paced and simpler then other folk. History is very important to us.  In fact the house I grew up was built when Lincoln was president. It's been in the family for YEARS. My Grandmother grew up in it, my great Grandfather grew up in it. etc. Awesome heritage to be apart of, let me tell you.

So being that our family has been here for a while,  it's a farming family and there are others like us in the area, I have noticed something. The older lady who lived down the road, should could tell stories about my grandmother. The guy who lived the other direction, that was "Neighbor Ed". He and his wife were great neighbors. There was a sense of community. A sense of "if you ran out of sugar or an egg short you could call them up and 'borrow' it."

We have LOST our ability to be like that. We don't know our neighbors. We don't even know the people around us. If it's not posted on facebook we don't know what's happening. We are moving to fast to wave to the neighbors as you pass by. Anyone even sit on their porches anymore? We have big screen tvs to entertain us. We have the smallest devices to take with us so we don't miss anything. But we do! We are missing community. I saw two friends get together to have coffee together and what did they do? They both sat there with their phones and scanned facebook.

I want to go back to the old days where people will take a walk down the road to visit their friend for tea! I want to go back to the old days where you knew your neighbors. Is that to hard to ask. I am guilty of it to. I can't remember the name of the couple who lives below me. I do know their kids names. I know a few other people... But I don't KNOW them. It's time to build neighborhoods that lookout for each other. Communities that share.

We are missing out, friends. We are missing a chance to live. We are too fast and to busy that we are missing the point of life. We are missing out on that community. We are missing out on the chance to be neighbors. We have to be intentional. We have to make a point to be friendly. To not ignore the people around us.

It's a challenge to you and to me. Don't forget what is important. it's not about what you do or what you drive or how much your worth. It's about the people those that you are around.  It's worth your time to invest in people!