Hello, neighbor. And welcome!
My parents both attended Catholic schools and wanted all their children to do the same. Unfortunately, they also were forced by the growing size of our family and other financial circumstances to move several times. This meant changing schools multiple times. I went to one school in Fridley for Kindergarten, another school in Northeast Minneapolis for 1st grade, and yet another school in Mendota starting in 2nd grade. We didn’t live nearby yet, so I didn’t know any of my classmates, and wouldn’t live near them for several years, so didn’t have the opportunity to get to know them outside of school. I was incredibly shy and did not have the social skills to reach out to the other children and join them in play during recess. While I would have been happy staying inside and reading a book, I was required to go outside to the playground. I suffered through recess walking around the school grounds by myself waiting for recess to be over. Several years later when we finally moved into the area and lived near some of my classmates, I was told that they saw me walking alone but didn’t reach out to ask me to join them.
As a Catholic, I learned many tenets of our religion, including the biblical phrase, “Whatsoever you shall do for the least of my brethren you do for me.” I even learned much later that a version of this tenet is common to all major world religions.
As our community experiences growth through a lot of new housing projects, we are also seeing many new faces in a town that was once occupied by a homogenous group of neighbors, many related to each other through marriage. In order for our community’s businesses to thrive and financially support our town, many of those businesses actively promote growth and development. Seeing more and more strangers in town, while good for business, can feel less comfortable for those whose families have lived here for many generations.
Some of those neighbors might join our clubs, churches, or sports leagues. Some might have children who attend school with our children. Some might have families like ours, who look like us or have common interests. Some might not.
Our challenge is to be open and welcoming to all of them, to be the kind of good neighbors we want them to become. Change is scary, even change for the better. We are hard-wired for predictable structure and continuity. It can feel awkward or uncomfortable reaching out to our new neighbors, especially those who look or sound different.
Deep down, we all want to feel welcome, to become part of and raise our children in a community that supports each other, the proverbial village. Those of us who profess a faith that directs us to treat others the way we want to be treated must challenge ourselves to live that faith and reach out to each other.
Those of you who know me know that I may speak and act publicly, but may not know that deep down I still carry remnants of that shy child who is much more comfortable curling up with a good book than knocking on a stranger’s door. I do find, however, that if I bring a smile, perhaps a home-baked treat, they are more than happy to open the door for me.
“Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept.” Rabbi Joachim Prinz
