I’m hip-blasting this one, so forgive the typos and grammar if it fails.
I was walking around the neighborhood this morning as I do everyday to think and pray. I saw some neighbors I’ve never met loading a van full of furniture into their house. One man looked very frail. I greeted the passing family members and kept walking and suddenly felt that I should offer to help. I felt awkward about it, and kept walking.
After about 150 yards my conscience caught up with me. Why go for a walk every morning to get closer to God if I won’t even offer to help a neighbor?
I walked back, introduced myself and said, “Would you like any help carrying all this stuff?”
They assured me, “No, no, its alright.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Are you from America?”
We chitter-chatted a little. They insisted they didn’t need help. And I discovered there were more able-bodied men about helping with the move. That’s good. I said, “God bless you, then, and have a great day!” And I meant it, praying a thicker blessing over their household and family as I walked on.
Good neighbors used to be normal. We’re not used to them anymore, and I can understand why someone wouldn’t initially want a stranger helping them carry stuff in and out of their house. But, as a result, we were introduced. Maybe next time I can help them with something.
A woman I once helped dig her car out of the snow in Connecticut, USA offered me money for my help. I said, “Good neighbors are free.” And so they should be.
What’s that line? “Love your neighbor as yourself, and pray for those who persecute you…”
It was a good reminder to me to push myself outside my little personal social comfort-zone bubble and be a little more loving. We could use more of that in the world, couldn’t we?
Thoughts from Nogrod 
There were a couple days where I was cutting through an alley on the way home from work at just the same moment that an older woman was hobbling into the alley walking him from somewhere. It was blisteringly hot and she was moving very painfully slow, so after a brief internal battle I stopped and offered her a ride. She declined, said home was close.
I wouldn’t have gotten in the car with me, either. But I hope she was blessed rather than creeped out…since good neighbors *are* pretty unusual these days.