Community

A few years ago, my husband’s work transferred him from California’s agricultural Central Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area.  Here in the Bay Area there is a housing shortage causing many families like my own to live in either apartments, townhouses, or to join forces with extended family members and house share.  In our case, we live in a townhouse and unlike most apartments/townhouses in our area, our complex actually has a small front yard for each unit.  When we moved in two years ago, our front yard area was a patch of dirt filled with rusty nails, broken beer bottles and a large cactus.  Definitely not child safe by any means and definitely not inviting.   

When we first moved into the complex, I received permission to pull out the cactus and began designing my own garden.  At first, my plans just involved making it a safe location for my children as well as a space to grow a few flowers or tomato plants, but as we became more familiar with the community within our complex, my plans began to evolve.  My ideas for a simple and safe front yard for my family, soon were promoted into an even better design: a community gathering place. 

Our specific townhouse is unique in that we are the very last unit in a long narrow driveway of townhomes and also because our unit is right next to our complex’s only lawn area.  This makes the front of our unit the safest place for the neighborhood children to ride bikes and play games.  Our location is also the ideal place for promoting community among our neighbors, many of whom are first generation immigrants from both India and Latin America.

I quickly observed that within our complex there was a need for seating near the lawn area.  Often the grandparents would walk their grandchildren down to the front of our unit so the children could play, but they themselves remained standing.  One particular grandmother used a cane, and I just hated to see her standing for long periods of time. It was clear that she was uncomfortable.  When seeing her, I would often go out and offer her a chair, but on days I was away, or busy in the house, not realizing she was out there her only choices were to either keep the children inside, or stand. 

After talking to my husband, I soon began expanding my garden plans to include a seating area as well as planting beds for both flowers and a community vegetable patch. 

We began our landscaping work on a Friday afternoon and even from its conception, my little garden was a community affair.  Two neighborhood boys joined in the fun by asking if they could help.  They, along with our own boys, helped with pulling out weeds, and carefully removing all the broken glass and bottle caps from the ground.  The next day, Saturday the boys returned and helped even further planting lettuce, carrots, and Swiss chard into the newly formed beds.  As we worked, our non-English speaking neighbors would smile with nods of encouragement and appreciation. 

The following morning, we came out of the house to begin loading up for church, but our plans quickly changed.  Many of the neighbors had gathered outside our unit and were enjoying the sunshine and our newly landscaped front garden.  The sense of community, fellowship and friendship was so strong that we knew we needed to stay home from church on this particular morning and spend the morning worshiping in a different way, by loving our neighbors.  This was confirmed a while later when one of our older Punjabi speaking neighbors said to me, with the help of a translator, “This is proof, you don’t need money, all you need is love.”

It took a little bit of time for our neighbors to truly realize that the seating area and garden were available for their use with or without us being present.  I still remember the first time I looked out my bedroom window to see a gathering of some of the grandparents sitting and conversing.  I was so excited.  I wanted to run out and hug each one of them, but considering the fact that there was a language barrier, I decided to just call and celebrate with my husband on the phone instead.  (I did however snap a quick picture from my window. I just couldn’t resist.)

Two years have now passed and the entire neighborhood knows that our yard is their yard. We have been told that when we go away for the weekend, we do not need a security system, because the entire neighborhood is watching and guarding our house.   

Our neighbors have become friends and those friends are like family. 

When we have extended family come visit or we invite friends to come to our home, they always remark that coming to our neighborhood is like being in Mayberry from The Andy Griffith Show, or like visiting Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Incidentally, these are my two all-time favorite shows. 

Our neighbors were all wonderful and beautiful people long before we landscaped our yard.  Opening up our yard was really a byproduct of us first opening up our hearts.  Never before had we ever lived in such close proximity to people from other countries, cultures, languages, or religions.  Our neighbors have welcomed us into their homes and lives and we have welcomed them into ours. We have learned that love is the international language that supersedes spoken words every time.  

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love which bind them together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV (Emphasis added)

Sharing our yard has not been without a few bumps in the road.  Sometimes chairs and toys are not put away.  Sometimes trash is left behind.  Both a chair and a bike have gone missing, never to be returned.  There are risks.  There are drawbacks, but the benefits are so worth it. 

There was never a booming voice from heaven telling me to share my yard.  It was just a spark of an idea that entered my heart and once there, I just had to see it through.  For most of us, the impact we have on the world is not a result of money, prestige, or popularity, but on whether we live life slow enough to notice a grandma who needs a chair.  I may have provided a chair, but what I have received in return has been life changing.  My heart has been expanded.  My love for others has expanded, and my life is full to overflowing and yet there is always room for more.

My encouragement to you today is to fan the ideas that spark life in your heart.  Love without limit. Create the community your heart craves.  

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