I'd Like to Tell You a Story

I'm hoping you can spare a minute to sit with me while I tell you a story.  It's a busy time of year for most, there are a million things that have to be done, and life just gets so complicated....

But this is a good story; a story for the holiday season.
First, a little background.  My daughter, Erika and her fiance, Jonny were supposed to be married in November.  But Jonny is from the UK, and the Visa process is unpredictable and slow, so he actually arrived here three days after their original wedding date.  So a new date was chosen, within the 90 day "window" of his Visa--December 14th.  December?  DECEMBER?  Planning a wedding for any month comes with challenges, but planning a wedding for the winter....in the Midwest....is insane!
But we went ahead and planned.  It was to be a simple affair in a local arts venue, and as the days went by, I began to relax.  We had no measurable snowfall after a freakish October event, and it appeared as if we would be lucky on the 14th.  I watched the Weather Channel every day, and every day the prospect of "niceish" weather got better--cold but no snow!  Until Tuesday....
On Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, I heard there was a chance of snow...no...1 to 3 inches possible...no...2 to 4 inches maybe....By Thursday night, I was hoping we were going to have the one-inch predicted.
By Friday morning, I was in a panic (it gets my heart rate up to even write this!).  I was pretty sure my mom, traveling with my sister and brother-in-law, could make it before the storm hit, so that was a relief.  But I began to worry about our extended family, coming in from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
The snowfall amount kept rising with every forecast, as did my anxiety level.  It was clear the snow was coming, so now I had to consider how to deal with it.
How on earth would I deal with it?? 
We had to be at the venue early in the morning.  How was I going to get the driveway shoveled?  Our snow blower was old and unreliable, Karen's back was already bad, we didn't have any teenagers in the neighborhood, and anyone else who possibly could help was already in the wedding.  And what if my already-frail mom needed something urgent in the morning?!   
Full-blown panic!

Then I remembered.  I remembered my new neighbors.  Faith West.  I've written about Faith West before: written about our many differences, our efforts to understand one another, the skepticism of my friends.  I've also written about their promise to be good neighbors--they promised to help their neighbors when needed. 
So, I picked up the phone and called.  I spilled out my story, my need, my anxiety to the lovely young woman who answered the phone and was kind enough to listen to me.  She told me Pastor Josh Greiner had just left for the day.  She said she would try to contact him, but that the next day was a crazy day for them too--a community outreach event AND graduation at Purdue were just two of many things going on during this holiday season.  She took my name, phone number, and said she would pray for a good outcome for us.
Within 30 minutes, Pastor Greiner returned my call.  He listened to me, listened to my by-now-hysterical babbling, and then he asked questions.  Asked about the wedding.  Asked where exactly we lived.
And then?  And then he asked what time his crew should show up.

He asked what time they should be there.  For me.  And my family.   

The next morning at 7:30, our walks, driveway, and cars were cleared of snow.  Cleared by my neighbors of Faith West.  Cleared by people who do not know me, who perhaps cannot be further from me on most issues.... 
But there's more to this story.  You see, it kept snowing until early evening.  As we left the wedding reception, it occurred to me that, even though I was utterly exhausted, I would need to hurry home to shovel the driveway and walks so my relatives could safely get to our front door.  As we drove into our driveway, I had to stop.  Stop and cry.  Because my neighbors had returned, to shovel everything again.  A second time.

Thank you for taking time to read this.  It's a great story; one I will repeat over and over.  A story for the holiday season, and a story worth remembering always.  Because at a time when our world seems to be constantly at war, and people are killing each other "because", and at a time when our elected officials can't agree on anything, so nothing is getting done, and at a time in our state when one of THE most divisive issues we will ever face (in the form of a Constitutional Amendment) will surely pit neighbor against neighbor, and at a time when incivility rules instead of "Treat others the way you wish to be treated", I reached out to ask a neighbor for help.

And my neighbor said, "Yes."