About four and a half years ago, God blessed me with a small house with a white picket fence that sits on a corner lot. I knew immediately when I crossed the threshold that this was going to be my first home.

The story of how I got my home is a miracle in and of itself; however, the true blessing has come from the people who live around me — my neighbors.

George and Mavis and their son, Joe, live across the street. They always have time to chat and give my dog, Sadie, attention. They blessed me this year with sweet homegrown tomatoes.

Prior to going to the Philippines in 2007, God introduced me to Mark and Eba. Eba hails from the Philippines, and during a wonderful meal I got an introduction to the beautiful people of that country. It’s nice to have a prayer close by.

Frogger and his wife live behind me. When my lawnmower broke, Frogger was right there to make sure my lawn didn’t get too out of control. I appreciated, too, their gift of fresh apples — nothing like the smell of apples straight from the tree.

Then there is Lori and her friend, Jay, along with her kids. Lori moved in next door about the same time that I did. We’re about the same age and became immediate friends. I enjoy our friendship, backyard chats over coffee or a Diet Coke. Sadie loves the occasional surprise of scraps from the grill. We take turns either shoveling snow or cutting each other’s grass.

Sadie has a special pal in Curtis who lives on the next corner down.

He calls her and she goes right to him. Her whole body wags when she hears him call her name.

Janet and her dog, Shauna, live across the street. It’s always great to see her out walking the dog and taking time to chat and give some love to Sadie.

In this world where the word neighbor doesn’t mean what it used to, I’m very grateful to say thanks to God for giving me such a wonderful group of people to share our block. I know that if I ever needed anything, they’d be there and vice versa.

I pray that each of them would be blessed to know they’ve made my home a better place to live. I sometimes dream of having a home in the country, but then I think of all I would miss on the corner of this wonderful neighborhood.