GIVING AND BEING THANKFUL
It was a tad bit chilly, but after a grueling Arizona summer it felt pretty good… of course eating my wife’s homemade red sauce can make any setting a sliver of heaven… I’d eat it in Alaska with no clothes on if I had to… (point made!) We finished eating outside with the propane heaters keeping us toasty while we enjoyed the evening rainstorm a few feet away from us.
Our dog Larry was doing his usual stint with his soccer ball, he’s actually quite talented with the ball and can be the evening’s entertainment all by himself. I didn’t recognize his new ball and assumed my wife had splurged for the holiday season. “Where’d he get that ball? – I don’t recognize it,” she asked me. “I thought you got it for him?” I answered.
The bright lime green ball had a few chunks out of it and we felt bad due to the fact that our next door neighbors have two boys, well actually they’re young men now, who’ve played soccer their entire lives, we’ve been neighbors with them the majority of that time. Michael plays soccer in college and Adam I believe is on his way after this, his senior year. Larry isn’t a good neighbor… He steals the inadvertently kicked balls and uses them for exercise, for growling at and gnawing on like a bone… he believes that possession is 9/10’s of the law.
Over the years, Larry has destroyed more expensive soccer balls than any other being I know. The neighbors never complained, they took it in stride and liked Larry despite his poor manners. “It says ‘to Larry?” my wife said getting a closer look at the ball. I spotted it after she did and our daughter picked it up and looked at the words smeared from dog slobber and teeth marks, “Frooooom…. Adam, – It’s from Adam! From: Adam. To: Larry!”
I can’t imagine being that good a neighbor… especially at the ages those neighbors have been through the years when the next door neighbor canine sunk his into their soccer balls after using them for his selfish purposes.
I don’t think about it often, but I’m grateful to have great neighbors. It also made me think about how doing something gracious has a way of bringing out the best in others. Instead of resenting the person or thing that cost us time, money, and aggravation, maybe we really should give them what it is they desire. Isn’t that exactly what Christ said? “If someone takes your coat don’t withhold your shirt.”
The best kind of thankful is about being able to give knowing you have enough. Lifting up others is the business we’re called to. It can be in the smallest of ways… cause sometimes they make the biggest impact… Just ask Larry…
May God bless you and yours this season as we give thanks and grace in all the ways we’re called to. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Lynn Morrissey
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 @ 6:23 pm
OH what a cute story (you tell it so well!) and what a cute dog! I love those big dreamy brown eyes. I’d really be a sucker for a dog like that–let him jump in my bed, etc. Michael doesn’t allow our 65 – pound STandard poodle in our bed! But he is a love (although he has ruined his fair share of lime-green tennis balls). Maybe we can get a neighbor to get him some for Christmas! Great dog tale, Floyd!
Fondly
Lynn
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:52 am
Well I can tell you even though Larry only ways about twenty five pounds, he’s not sleeping with us! I’m with Michael! Thanks, Lynn. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Lynn.
Hazel Moon
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 @ 7:27 pm
Dogs and other pets too, provide us with a variety of stories. After all they are part of the family and your good neighbor knew that. What a thoughtful and kind gesture to give Larry his own ball with an autograph too. May we be as giving this season as we discover those who are in need of a soccer ball.:-)
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:54 am
Amen, Hazel. May we have that same heart of grace… It should define our lives and bring us joy as our Father designed it. Thanks, sister. Happy Thanksgiving. I know you have a soft spot for your dogs.
Audra Krell
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 @ 7:35 pm
Perfect time for this great story obviously!! Really loved this one. Grateful for you and your wonderful family. Wishing all of you a blessed and abundant Thanksgiving. Your family gives so much to others. A true picture of the church after God’s own heart. Thank you!
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:56 am
Thanks for the kind words and grace, Audra. Your encouragement is a gift and blessing. May God bless you and your’s this season and all the seasons of your long and prosperous lives. Happy Thanksgiving.
Audra Krell
Friday, November 29, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
And I appreciate your kind words. Hope you and yours had a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving!
Floyd
Friday, November 29, 2013 @ 6:04 pm
We did. Hope you enjoyed your whole gang as well. Thanks, Audra.
Dolly@Soulstops
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 @ 10:44 pm
Aww, Larry is a charmer 🙂 Happy you have such nice neighbors, and I bet you are also kind to them…Wishing you and your family, a blessed Thanksgiving, Floyd 🙂 Thanks for always being such an encouraging online neighbor 🙂
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:57 am
I like the way you worked that in! Clever! Thanks to you for your kind heart and ministry, Dolly. A blessed Thanksgiving to your and yours as well.
bill (cycleguy)
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 5:23 am
Praying you and the family have a thankful Thanksgiving Floyd. I am thankful for you and your “friendship” fired over the past two years or so. You are blessed and have been a blessing to me as well.
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:58 am
Thanks, Bill. It’s been my pleasure completely. And thanks for being that “iron that sharpens iron.” Can’t think of a better gift. Happy Thanksgiving, brother.
Dave Arnold
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 8:10 am
Great story, Floyd. It’s the little things that make life so rich – those moments that cause us to stop & be thankful. God can use anything to remind us of what really matters. Happy Thanksgiving my friend!
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:59 am
Amen, Dave. Our Father can and does use the smallest of things to remind us of the true treasures in life. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too, Dave. God bless.
Betty Draper
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 9:27 am
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Floyd. It is wonderful to have good neighbors. We have had several through the years who gave overly and abundtly into our lives. Good reminder that we are all neighbors to someone and how a little thing can encourage them.
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 12:01 pm
It really is the simplest of gestures that our Father uses to remind us of the greatest treasures… the ones that are born within us by His spirit. Thanks, Betty, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Praying for a safe trip for you.
child of God
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 11:30 am
Nice neighbours you have! I’m sure Larry charms them with those sweet eyes of his and his adorable puppyish ways.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family. We have so much to be thankful for.
Blessings brother.
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 12:07 pm
Amen. The older I get the more I grasp just how little I grasp how much grace has been doled out on us by our Father. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours along with the blessings from our Father in your lives.
Caleb Suko
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 1:18 pm
I think my kids would enjoy playing with your dog Floyd. We live in a small apartment in Ukraine so no chance of having a dog. We do however, have neighbors and there is nothing like having neighbors who know you and enjoy your company! If we can’t find our kids that usually means they went over to the neighbors place to play. Now they are missing their friends while we are here in the States.
Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 3:15 pm
I tend to take many gifts for granted. Having neighbors that look out and care for our family is one of the best. Distance makes the heart grow fonder… Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well, Caleb. God bless.
Dan Black
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 1:24 pm
It’s amazing how those small encounters or interactions can be huge blessing on our life and heart. It’s truly a blessing to have people like you in my life. Thank you for your friendship and have a blessed Thanksgiving:)
Floyd
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 3:17 pm
Thank you for the kind words, Dan. Knowing you personally makes it all that much more real. A Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you as well, my friend.
Dan Black
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
Yes, it sure does. You have been a huge blessing in my life. More than you know:)
Floyd
Wednesday, December 4, 2013 @ 11:32 am
Thanks, Dan. Means a lot to me, brother. That goes both ways.
David Rupert
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 @ 8:37 pm
Dogs and neighbors can go either way. My neighbor won’t talk to me because of a few ‘messes’ that came from my unleashed pet. I keep trying, even tho the dog is long gone. But on the other side, the neighbors dog is the glue between the families.
Floyd
Thursday, November 28, 2013 @ 9:59 am
I have some neighbors across the street that are fairly new and they’re not the same as the old ones. I wave out of manners even when they don’t, but the ones I’m sandwiched between are salt of the earth… not a bad place to be. They don’t even yell at Larry when he howls like a fool at the ambulances… but I do… Thanks, David.
Mike
Thursday, November 28, 2013 @ 6:58 am
Loved the story, and you do have some great neighbors. If we could all spend more time thinking about all we have to be grateful for instead of the annoyances of life; we’d all be a lot happier.
Floyd
Thursday, November 28, 2013 @ 10:01 am
Man, that’s the truth, Mike. It sometimes takes a small act on someone else’s part to remind us of that fact. Thanks, Mike. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Mia
Thursday, November 28, 2013 @ 2:18 pm
Dear Floyd
Sorry, that I am getting so late to your post, but for some reason the posts of the blogs I follow don’ appear in my inbox and I was waiting for your next post. So I decided to come and visit in any case. When I was about 10 years old my father gave a black and tan colored dachshund. This mister was called Tokkels ( the name of our doctor, mind you). Tokkels had an insatiable hunger for books, shoes, and whatever he could find in the house. Needless to say he didn’t use these things he has destroyed for supper, he was just giving himself an art class on destruction . But I loved him to bits even when he ate my new Bible. I hoped that would change him a bit, but no such luck. Floyd, but I loved my Tokkels to bits. One afternoon I had to go on a school outing to the ice rink. We were away the whole afternoon and when I came home, Tokkels was gone. My parents told he walked away so I started walking the streets up and down, left and right until dusk. I had to go home. I grieved very, very much for my dog. A week later my parents have given Tokkels away because he is such a naughty dog. My heart was broken that they could do that to me. Floyd, happy Thanksgiving for you and your family.
Blessings XX
Mia
Floyd
Friday, November 29, 2013 @ 8:30 am
It’s tough being a kid. Being the youngest seemed to drive me to want to be in control. While I love my family I sure got tired of not being the one to call the shots. Sorry to hear about your dog. Those are the kind of memories that stay with us forever, although I do think God uses them to avoid the same type of mistakes… then again non of us are perfect. Just One. Happy Thanksgiving to you late. Hope you’re having a blessed weekend, Mia.
Rick Dawson
Thursday, November 28, 2013 @ 3:17 pm
Great tale and message, as always. Thanks for sharing the pooch with us, Floyd, and hope you and the family have enjoyed/are enjoying a great Thanksgiving!
Floyd
Friday, November 29, 2013 @ 8:33 am
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours a little late, Rick. May all the years be those of Thanksgiving to the One who provides and protects. Thanks, Rick. Always good to hear from you, brother.
Micah
Friday, November 29, 2013 @ 5:35 am
Great post. Learning to appreciate the little things can have a big impact, a lesson I’m learning to appreciate this thanksgiving. Thanks.
Floyd
Friday, November 29, 2013 @ 8:34 am
It’s amazing how our perspective changes with wisdom, isn’t it? Thanks, Micah. Cool name by the way. Happy late Thanksgiving to your, sir.
Voni
Saturday, November 30, 2013 @ 1:26 am
Sweet story! I hope to be that neighbor. Thanks for sharing.
Floyd
Saturday, November 30, 2013 @ 11:08 am
My guess is you are that neighbor, Voni. Funny how we forget that most of life is a “you get what you give” scenario. Thanks, Voni.
Dan Erickson
Saturday, November 30, 2013 @ 7:05 am
I just moved and have yet got to know my neighbors much. I’ve met a few and they all seem like good people. Another great anecdote, Floyd. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Floyd
Saturday, November 30, 2013 @ 11:10 am
Good neighbors are a blessing that is easy to overlook. I’ll bet you’ll make a good one. Thanks, Dan. We had a pretty quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving, hope you did too.
Kristin
Monday, December 2, 2013 @ 6:11 pm
Love that dog face! And what a neighbor! I have good neighbors too…such a blessing! I have one I call Lucy, she calls me Ethel. . .can you guess why? 😉
Blessings to you and your family~
Floyd
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 @ 10:42 am
Good neighbors are truly a blessing. Not sure if I’m ready to start calling you Ethel, and pretty sure your husband doesn’t want to be called Fred! But that’s clever, good for you. Thanks, Kristin, and blessings to you as well.
Loren Pinilis
Thursday, December 5, 2013 @ 2:10 pm
Ha, what a cute gesture from your neighbors.
Floyd
Thursday, December 5, 2013 @ 3:32 pm
Yeah, they’re great people with great kids. Thanks, Loren.
Joanne Norton
Friday, December 6, 2013 @ 3:13 pm
I finally had a chance to read the whole post… started a couple other times and got side-tracked, b/c my attention is a struggle. Sorry.
This was so obviously filled with kind and fun and friendly neighbors. We have some, too. We don’t have a dog or cat or kids… but we still have nice people who treat us good… and we try to be nice, too.
Want to read your stuff soon, Bro, but I’m heading out of town for a week and won’t have a chance to hang out on a computer most of the time. Truly want to follow you. Really liked this story. Would like to meet Larry… 😉 … and you and yours, of course.
Floyd
Friday, December 6, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
Enjoy your trip and be safe, Joanne. We’ll catch up one of these days. I know it’s a busy life and I appreciate the time you spend here. You are a blessing to more than just your neighbors. Thanks, Joanne.
Rachael
Saturday, December 7, 2013 @ 8:50 am
That is a sweet story! You have such a great skill of applying scripture to everyday moments of life. Merry Christmas to you and your family too!
Floyd
Saturday, December 7, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
Thanks so much, Rachael. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. Won’t be my last greeting to you!